Circus de Fairy Tail
by PARADISE.x
Summary: Her mission is simple. Infiltrate. Take over. Rob Blind. Escape. But the longer she stays the more she finds herself not only falling in love with Circus de Fairy Tail but with a certain fire-breathing young man. Rated M for heavy language [I'm serious], adult scenes, heavy violence, humor, and graphic sexual content. I do not own Fairy Tail.
1. Ink

Hello! Paradise.x here! I changed my name from RizzyRos, because...I just did. So, be quieeetttt. Jkjk, you need your voice to review! Well, I just wanna say WELCOME to _Circus de Fairy Tail_, my very first Fairy Tail fanfic! I would just like to thank you for even clicking on my story more or less even reading the summary, because I am sure there are millions of circus Fairy Tail fanfics out there. But I promise mine is somewhat unique, it still has the Fire-Breather Natsu in it! Har-Har!

Well, enjoy, my kiddies! And may your every single exhale be coated in lovely fire!

Summary: Her mission was simple. Get in. Rob Blind. Escape. But the more she stays, the more she finds herself not only falling in love with Circus de Fairy Tail, but with a certain fire-breathing boy as well.

Rated M for language, adult scenes, violence, and humor.

Natsu and Lucy

Romance and Humor

Lucy wasn't just bad. She was _despicable._Why? She looted that entire family of 24 body builders (including the women!) in about fifteen minutes without even giving it a second thought. Now, most thieves would maybe have stopped to consider the consequences of stealing an entire family fortune from mega-sized monsters, but not Lucy. She had a plan, and she stuck to it like white on rice. And guess what? Her plan worked. Those thugs did not even know what she looked like by the time fifteen minutes was up. Lucy had come back to the guild, set down those thirteen big bags of jewels (how she managed to carry so many was a mystery), smirked, then walked over to the bar to ask the bartender for a normal whiskey. Everyone is used to the sight of Thieve's Guild's top-most member yet least wanted (because she was gone before they could even identify her) walking in unannounced with so much money. The funny thing is, she's dead-broke. She has never been able to spend it on herself, because she was always forced to give it to the guild master Goliean Zambergian. The reason was unknown, yet none dare ask for fear of either upsetting Lucy Heartfilia or the Master himself. Just a single glance from him sent critics running for the hills, for he was also the man who managed to defeat eight dark guilds at once. At 6'7 with large musceles and a scarred complexion, Master had always been the one people would single out for mocking, yet he always made them pay. Always.

Lucy takes a swig of the fiery drink before looking around at her boring guild of boring people. Oh, how she desired to see some action going on, like a fight between total opposites, or even a fucking _love triangle _for Pete's sake! At least something mildly interesting to spice up the place, but every time Lucy tried to get everyone wilded up, they would just shoot her dirty looks and keep on getting themselves drunk, and not in the good way. She eventually gave up and just went with the flow, begging for the night to come already. She takes another drink, then asks for another. She felt like getting drunk tonight, maybe even so drunk she'll get laid. _Anything_ to stir the boredom that drenched her like a flood.

"Here you are." Is the scratchy voice of the Thieve's Guild's main bartender. He was a nice man who kept to himself, like Lucy. "One whiskey. Don't get yourself too drunk, missy, it's getting late."

Lucy smiles sweetly at the old man, "Thanks, Gregory-san. I think I should go home anyway." She really wanted to get drunk, but the wiser part of her screeched at her to go home.

"That's a good girl. Run along now, before the muggers come out."

"Pfft, okay." Lucy could handle a few measly human muggers. "See you tomorrow, I guess."

"'Night."

Lucy nods, gets up from the stool she was sitting on, and trots over to the guild's main doors. She is just about to push them open when a slimy voice right behind her says,

"Lucy-san, not so fast. Master wishes to see you."

The blonde Celestrial Sprit Mage sighs and turns around to see Chestlie Vix-a gorgeous and bitchy young swords master mage- staring at her with those narrowed green eyes. Oh, how those eyes pissed Lucy off.

"Fine. Where is he?"  
"S-class floor."

"Thanks." She lets venom slide into her voice.

Chestlie narrows her eyes even more and stalks away, many men staring at her breasts as they bounced up and down with each step she took.

"Pfft," Lucy murmurs, "slut." Then, she walks over to the towering dark and dank staircase that led up to the S-class floor. Lucy had clearance there, for she was an S-class mage in this Guild of Thieves. She goes up step by step, the acient wood creaking under her weight. When she comes to the top, she is greeted with the sight of her Master sitting in a large leather chair with a large metal table in front of him with a large horse-hide strapped book resting on it's top. Lucy grimances at the largness of everything, and comes over to stand in front of him. She bows her head in respect, only lifting it high when he says, "Rise." in that big, booming voice of his. She looks at him square in the eye, choclate meeting grey. "You requested me, Master?"

"Yes, sit down." He has a weird glint in his eye.

Lucy looks around, seeing no other chair but his. She frowns, then, seeing no other option, sits on the ground in a comfortable criss-cross. She looks up at him expectantly, kind of worried.

"Yes, Master?"

Master Goliean smiles fondly at Lucy, like a father would a beloved child, "Lucy, my sweet Lucy, I have another job for you."

Lucy frowns and says, "It isn't like the one in that dark guild, is it? I had to be_...active _with a man to get the fortune._" '_Active' meaning assaulting, then murdering, which was something Lucy liked to never do.

"Oh, no, no, no! Nothing of the sort! I have spied an excellent fish in the sea indeed...but it's Master already knows who I am so I cannot infultrate it."

Lucy curiously quirks a perfect eyebrow, "It's Master?"

"Yes, Master Marcov, I am sure you have heard of him."

Lucy's eyes go wide and she says, "Of the notorious _Circus de Fairy Tail_? B-but, they are a guild of top-notch mages!"  
"Yes! But they have diminished themselves to lowly circus performers. They will be practically harmless!"

Lucy frowns, not convinced, "But still..."

Her Master's gray eyes narrow and he says in a low and dangerous tone, "Are you scared, Lucy?"

Lucy cringes, "No...no! I am not!" She says with surprising strength. "You want me to infiltrate this circus, get them to trust me, then take everything they have? Is that what you are saying?"

Master nods, eyes shining with pride.

Lucy ponders this, eyes going distant as she goes over Pros and Cons. Pros- she could get so much money, her grand kids would be bathing in money. Cons- she could get found out and killed at the hands of angry mages. Hm, tough to chose.

Suddenly, a evil smirk dawns on her face, and she says silkily to her Master, "I accept this mission. When do I leave?"

Master stands up and helps Lucy to her feet, "Now!"

Five hours later, Lucy is aboard a train heading at breakneck speed towards the last known location of _Circus de Fairy Tail_, trying to get some sleep in the solitary and isolated cabin. She peeks out the window, mind filled with images of her either being choked to death by mages with no faces, or being slapped on the back and congratulated by her Master at collecting so much money for the guild. She relishes in that daydream for awhile, before being sucked back into the present by the announcement of _"We are now reaching Mangolia Town. Please, remained seated until the train has come to a complete stop. Thank you for riding Fiore National Railroads and have a great day."_ by an extremely friendly womanly-tone over the intercom. She sighs and waits as the train comes to a stop at the crowded train station. People start getting up in the other cabins, so she gets up to. She stretches up to get her stuff and could of sworn she heard the whistle of a man. She growls to herself and quickly takes down her bag from the metal shelf above her seat. She turns and opens the cabin door, stepping into the line of people heading towards the exit of the train. When she finally manages to get out of the train, she is then lost into a crowd of different and odd looking people. Not one person looked even slightly like another. Everyone was wearing different clothing. Nothing was similar. It was...nice. Lucy smiles brilliantly and walks over to the benches. She sits down on one, still smiling, but now only slightly. She glances around, waiting for the crowd to die down before she even bothered to stand up, much less walk around. She looks for posters or fliers for upcoming attractions, only seeing announcements of zoos or fairs or festivals that held no value to her. When she happens to look to the right exactly at that moment, she glimpses the words, _Circus de Fairy Tail_. She smiles at how easy it was. She stands up and makes her way over to the large bulletin board that was covered in graffiti, except a large piece of glossy paper that read,

_'Come one, come all to Circus de Fairy Tail, for a night of magic, mystery, and excitement!_

_Experience the beautiful Titania Erza Scarlet wield swords faster than human comprehension!_

_See the handsome Gray of Ice create beautiful sculptures of ice in seconds before your very eyes!_

_Be blown away by the Fire-Breather Natsu as he sets flame to the excitement in everyone!'_

Lucy sees a picture of a rather handsome young man with pink hair with fire erupting from his mouth. His face holds intense emotions, yet his eyes don't. Those onyx orbs hold only true happiness, something that can only be seen once in a life time. Lucy smiles softly, before reading the rest,

_'Only June 1st, 2nd, and 3rd only at the wonderful Mangolia Fields, at a price only 50 jewels per person! We hope to see you at Circus de Fairy Tail!'_

Lucy smiles softly at the poster, a plan already blossoming inside her. She would go, scope the place out, 'accidentally' wander backstage, charm them with her antics, and boom! She would have all the Fairy Tail fortune with her and she will be on a train back to her beloved Thieve's Guild! She giggles slightly, before pulling out a pen and writing on her hand, _June 1st, 2nd, 3rd, Mangolia Fields 50 jewels._ She smirks and puts away the pen, giggling again.

"You can get ink poisoning that way, little lady." A scratchy old voice says next to her. Lucy looks up, yet sees no one. "Down here!" Lucy looks down to be greeted with the sight of an old man with a rather strange hat on and a long staff. She cocks her head,

"Excuse me?"

"Writing on your hand. It can give you ink poisoning." The old man says, a smile on his face. Lucy can't help but smile back.

"Oh...w-well I have no paper, so, I had to improvise." She says matter-of-factly, still smiling softly.

"Be more careful, young lady. So, are you going?" He gestures to the poster.

Lucy nods avidly, "Yep! I wouldn't miss it for the world! It seems so amazing!"

"Oh, it is. I have seen it. That Natsu sure is something. Warms me up just thinking about it."

Lucy smiles even bigger, "Really? He sounds like the star of the show? A fire-breather? Maybe he's half dragon, or somethin'!"

The old man chuckles at the girl's excitement, "Maybe. Well, you best get going. Tonight is the first night. I believe it is in..." He glances at a watch on his right hand, "Thirty minutes."

Lucy gasps, "Oh, no! B-but, I have to race home and get money! I'm gonna miss it!"

The old man chuckles again before pulling out 50 jewels. Lucy gasps as he hands it to her.

"Oh, no, I could not take that from you!" Lucy says, sadness upon her face.

"Just take it. I have much more."

Lucy smiles, but an evil thought pops in her head, _Wring this old bat, he's loaded and you know it. Look at his colors. A noble._ But, for some reason, she just could not do it. She had a feeling she would feel horrible if she did. Plus, he was an old man. Mega-body builders were one thing, but old men? Lucy wasn't _that_ evil. She frowns, before taking it from him. She nods to him in thanks,

"Thank you so much, kind sir. I must hurry."

"Of course, of course. Have a good time, young lady."

"Oh, just Lucy."

"Lucy, eh? I'm Marcov. Now, hurry along now."

Lucy's blood drains from her face. Oh. My. _God_. She had just given her name to the Master of the guild she was to infiltrate. She was the worst thief ever. Lucy nods, sweat appearing on her brow, "T-thank you, Marcov-sama. Good night!" Then, she runs off, clutching her hat to her head.

Master Marcov watches after her, a knowing smile upon his face, _Lucy, eh? Interesting move, Master Goliean._

Thanks for reading the first chapter of _Circus de Fairy Tail_! Please, please, please review! Review means that you want me to continue! Thanks for everything, everyone!

With best wishes including flames of passion,

PARADISE.x


	2. Flame

**Hey everyone! Thanks for tuning in for the 2nd chapter of **_**Circus de Fairy Tail**_**! Well, tonight's the night! Lucy's gonna scope out this Fairy Tail. Will she like what she finds? Well, read and find out you sly cats you!**

**Well, a big thanks to everyone who has reviewed already. I really appreciate it. Especially to Lady Kuroneko 01 for her nice and long review. No, 'grimaces' is not a word. I feel retarded now. At least, my dictionary says it isn't. I should have used 'grimaced'. And, I will be explaining Lucy's family business in a latter chapter.**

**And thanks to PhoenixedDragon! I'll make sure Natsu is extra amazing just for you!**

**Thanks, everyone!**

**Enjoy.**

The lights give it away. As does the big tent. It was really hard to miss. The gigantic wooden sign that stated _Circus de Fairy Tail _in shining letters no doubt thanked to a mage's magic makes Lucy smiles softly and feel excitement deep in her gut_. Wait, no. You are on a mission. You ain't here for the show. Scope out the enemy and infiltrate. GET A GRIP_! She thinks sharply to herself, before gulping in a breath and stepping forward to the ticket booth. She smiles softly at the clerk, handing her the 50 jewels total. The clerk takes it with a smile and hands Lucy her ticket, which was a deep red and about the size of her hand. She nods to the clerk, who wishes her a fun night, and then walks towards the entrance. She smiles again, this time only bigger and she heads inside. She is overcome with large crowds, vendors, the smell of food, and also the smell of elephant manure. Don't ask how she knows what elephant dung smells of. Lucy's been places.

She manages to escape the crowd and comes upon the large bleachers made of iron. She climbs up to the very top, then into the corner, making sure she was shrouded in darkness so that old man would not notice her. Even though he would see her soon enough. She clenches her fist, hating the fact that she let herself tell that old geezer her name. She felt like screaming at her foolishness then forcing someone to hit her over and over again. But not even that could erase the past. She sighs and starts to tap her foot, knowing that it should start soon. There was no line outside, because everyone was already here. She was in luck that she got such a good seat. When the lights dim to nothing, she feels something close to nervousness pile in her gut, before it was blown away by excitement as a voice that could be identified as Master Marcov's booms, "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to _Circus de Fairy Tail_! I thank you all for joining us this fine evening, for it is the 15th anniversary of this prime event! Because of this, our normal show has been increased by more than 20 percent in magic, amazement, and acts! Be ready to be fascinated by our first act, Juvia of the Rain!"

The crowd cheers loudly as a feminine figure steps into the bright spot light that kept changing colors. Now, it was a dark blue, giving off a perfect air of mystery to the young woman who was supposedly about to amaze the excitement-hungry crowd. Juvia of the Rain wears a sparkly blue toga type outfit, while also holding a sparkly blue umbrella, perfectly straight up. Lucy faintly wonders if that hurt her hand and wrist in any way. Juvia looks straight into the large crowd and, with a faint blush, begins to move her mouth. Her voice is blasted over the intercom, but Lucy could still tell she was only whispering.

_"Drip-Drop, Juvia is a Rain Woman, Drip-Drop."_ That is when it begins to rain inside of the tent. The crowd gasps, amazed, sure that is the young mage that caused it.

"Amazing!"

"So cool!"

"But my hair is getting wet!"

Master Marcov's voice replaces Juvia's fine whisper, "There are umbrellas under every seat!"

Lucy reaches down and pulls out a golden umbrella with jewels imbedded in the handle. She smirks and says, "Going all out, eh?" She makes a note of leaving the circus with the umbrella still with her later, before opening it and protecting herself from the drizzle of rain, which was pouring down harder. Juvia's voice now says,

_"Juvia is a rain woman, and she needs help from the crowd. Drip-Drop. She chooses...the one in the front with the pretty pigtails."_ An excited young girl stands up, looking kind of nervous, before being ushered to Juvia by assistants. Juvia smiles warmly at the young girl and asks in that mysterious and beautiful voice of her's, "Now, what is your name?"

"C-Cindy..." The young girl's voice is nervous and also excited.

"Well, Cindy, Juvia shall place you in the water lock and you are to wave to your parents or other family. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes, Ms. Juvia!"

Juvia smiles before taking a few steps back from Cindy. Her face suddenly goes intense and she yells, _"Water Lock_!_" _A large ball of beautiful sparkly water rushes towards Juvia, only then to go towards the girl. Somehow, Cindy is calm and almost trusting. It kind of creped Lucy out. _Please don't tell me they use a calming spell on the volunteers from the crowds._ She thought to herself. The water curls into a large ball around the pig-tailed girl, and Cindy starts smiling and waving to a certain point in the crowd. Cries go out, probably from the girl's mother. Cindy smiles again and by the way her mouth is open, she is most likely laughing. Wow, that looked like a lot of fun. Juvia suddenly swipes her hand vertically in front of herself and cries, _"Water Lock disengage." _And the water crashes to the ground and leaves only a soaked young girl, laughing her ass off. Lucy can't help smiling in joy at the beautiful sight of rushing water. She also suddenly had the urge to pee.

Juvia smiles at the crowd's cheers and waves. She goes to the girl and points in the direction of her family. The girl nods and thanks Juvia, before running to her family, still giggling. The water woman looks at the crowd again, and that's when the sword goes right through her. There are screams, but Juvia only smiles, before tugging out the blade with ease. Lucy sees one assistant hiding behind the curtain, and she guesses he is the one who sent the sword flying at her. No blood flows from Juvia, and the hole from the blade heals instantly. Her body...was made of water. Lucy's chocolate brown eyes go wide and she gasps. _If just the opening act is like this...what about the closing act? What about that Natsu? Oh, God, what did I get myself into? _

Juvia bows, and starts to sink into the ground. Literally. She was turing into a pool of water and was sinking into the dusty earth. Lucy frowns, seeing that just one of her foes could easily destroy her if it came to real battle. Oh, Gods...

"Now," Master Marcov's voice blasts over the intercom, "time for a very special act, the Writer Mage Levy!" A petite blue haired girl steps into the now yellow light. She has a brilliant smile upon her face and looked even more innocent than Lucy! Lucy frowns and leans forward, interested to see what this girl could do. The act passes by quickly, with the girl Levy writing words in mid-air and them becoming what they said they were. She wrote 'tree' and suddenly a giant tree sprouted in the middle of the stage. She wrote 'chainsaw' and an assistant used the chainsaw to take down the tree, and a dozen assitants who were as buff as the body-builders Lucy stole from picked up the log and ran away with it backstage. Lucy scoffs and rolls her eyes.

"Now for Gajeel the Iron Dragonslayer!"

Lucy gasps. They have a _Dragonslayer_? Lucy was starting to consider backing out of the mission, but her Master would surely do away with her if she did. She takes a few gulps of air before watching iron spikes erupt from the pierced-face rather large male. Lucy gulps once again, knowing she definitely could not defeat this Gajeel. She wasn't used to such strong mages. She stole from people so quickly they couldn't even use their powers on her. But this was a mission where she had to get to know the people. They would know what she looked like, how she walked, how she talked, what her power was...it terrified her. She watches as the Iron Dragonslayer turns her hands and legs into long iron clubs. She sits back and clutches her head as if she had a headache. She was to steal from all of this? Jesus, her Master thought highly of her.

"Introducing the handsome Gray of Ice!"

An almost naked man steps into the now light icy-blue light, a sly smirk on his face. Damn, Marcov was right...this guy was sexy. All the way. Lucy feels herself blush, before she quickly smolders it under the duty to see what this man could do without being distracted by his looks. He puts his hands out in front of him, his left fist on top of his right palm. He suddenly yells, _"Ice Make Fairy Tail." _In seconds, there is a gigantic sculpture of the Fairy Tail insignia. There are ooo's and ahhhh's from the crowd, and Lucy finds herself smiling at the beauty of it. A few beautiful sculptures later, Master Marcov's voice is once again dominating the cheers of the crowd.

"The beautiful scarlet-haired...Titania Erza!"

A not only beautiful but gorgeous woman stalks into the center ring, a blinding smile on her face. She is wearing gorgeous silver armor that curved with her body, showing off the largeness of her breasts. She bows to the crowd.

_She hasn't even done anything yet and these people are cheering! _Lucy thought in a bitter way, jealous of this woman's beauty that was rival to her own.

The Titania Erza smiles fondly at the crowd, and was it just Lucy, or did her eyes land on the blonde mage? She would never know because Erza was closing those dark eyes and muttering something. Her voice broadcasts over the stadium and its a unsurprising commanding and superior type of voice. One that would belong to the queen of a large kingdom. And Fairy Tail definitely was some sort of kingdom. _"Requip Fairy Tail Farewell Armor_._" _Suddenly the stadium is bathed in golden light as Erza's armor falls from her body to be replaced by a rather bulky armor that had a large banner over where her groin would be with the Fairy Tail insignia made from gold thread. Lucy's eyes narrow as she takes in the older woman. She was definitely powerful if she could requip that fast. Lucy gulps in more hair and clutches the black jacket closer to her body, feeling suddenly very cold. She was about to steal from these people...

After a few more requips and Erza swallowing swords, Master Marcov's voice booms,

"Now, for the final and more sensational act," Lucy quickly runs through her jumbled mind for the last person. Who hasn't gone yet? She could not remember.

"I now give you the Fire Dragonslayer himself, The Fire Breather Natsu!"

The crowd is besides themselves, and Lucy thought her eardrums would explode. The blood drains from her face. Another. Dragonslayer. Another. One. Oh, Gods, why was she even here right now?

The crowd goes silent as a musculine figure steps steps from the shadows of the curtain into the now redish-orange light, a smirk on his handsome and rough face. His onyx eyes are bright with misheif, and his pink hair was tousled. Lucy feels something close to a blush come to her face at the mere sight of this man. He was way sexier than Gray of Ice...way more. Lucy can't help giggling slightly, but she supresses it, yelling at herself in her mind, _Get a fucking grip you bitch! He's just a boy, keep to the damn mission! _But she was finding it kind of hard.

Natsu opens his mouth to yell, _"Fire Dragon's Roar_!_" _

Fire erupts from his mouth, growing in intensity and making the Fairy Tail mark on his right shoulder glow. It rushes everywhere, somehow growing into the shape of a dragon's head.

"So...much...power..." Lucy murmurs, amazement birthing in her stomach. "H-how..."

_"Wings of Flame_*!" Fire erupts from his arms stretching up 16 no 17 feet into the air! The crowd gasps and cheers. Lucy suddenly finds herself standing and clapping even more avidly than everyone there. Her chocholate eyes were big and bright and for the first time in years, she felt like a little kid again. She looks at Natsu's expression, much different from everyone else, who were looking only at his flames. He looks intense and determined, but his eyes...they were a different story entirely. They showed not only excitment, but true happiness. Just like in the poster she saw at the trainstation downtown. Somehow, this man makes her insides fire up in not only nervousness but something...warmer as well. Lucy had never felt something like this before but she sure as Hell liked it!

After all the fire calms down, there is only a perfect circle of low flames around Natsu, and his eyes are bright. "Now, I need a brave volunteer!"

Many hands shoot up, and Natsu looks around, the smirk still on his face. "Hm...I choose..." His eyes meet with Lucy's, and the lock on her. A knowing smile appears replaces the smirk and he points straight after, "You! The girl with the long blonde hair and black jacket!"

Lucy's face drains of blood as the spotlight lands on her and she truly gets that God must hate her.

**There you have it! The 2nd installment of **_**Circus de Fairy Tail**_**! Thanks for reading, and please please please review! Review makes salamanders happy!**

**PARADISE.x**


	3. Easy

**Hey everyone! Thanks for clicking on my story! What happened last time:**

_"I need a voulenteer!"_

_"I choose..."_

_"You! Girl with blonde hair and the black jacket!"_

**Anywho, thanks to anyone who reviewed. I really want feedback! I plan to update this story as much as I can today! Thank you!**

All eyes were on Lucy. All 30,000 of them. She feels sick to her stomach as she stands and makes her way down the steps of the bleachers. She felt like vomiting and her skin was most likely clammy. She clenches and unclenches her fists, wanting nothing more than to disappear forever. She comes to a stop in front of Natsu, who smiles warmly at her and says, "What's your name?"

"Uh...Taylor." She lies.

"Funny, you don't look like a Taylor to me. Anyway, I need your help in a special act. Are you flexible?"

Lucy nods faintly, brown eyes wide with nervousness. What was he going to ask her to do?

"Good. How flexible?"

In response, Lucy bends fully backward, resting on her hands, springs herself into a handstand position, then lands right back on her feet again. She plays with her sleeve as the crowd ooo's and ahhh's. Natsu claps himself, "Man, why can't I do that?"

Lucy smiles faintly and looks down at the ground. She was always the one for stage-fright.

"Come on, no need to be shy, Taylor-san! You'll do great! Okay, so I need you to..." He bends down and whispers things in her ear, also handing her a tiny bag. She blushes at how close he was but quickly tries to regain her old and normal color of skin. She nods at his idea, before walking over to the very end of the stage. She stares straight at him, getting into defensive stance, just like he told her to. He does as well and smiles reassuringly, trying to get the message that he wasn't going to hurt her through her brain. Even so, she felt so nervous she thought she was going to vomit right here, in front of thousands of people. She could not suffer that humiliation without dying.

Natsu suddenly comes running at her, fists alight with fire. He punches downwards when he reaches her, not catching her by surprise. He told her he was going to do this first. She grabs his arm and uses it to leap over the fire, all the while trying to open her bag. The crowd gasps at the sudden move and cheers for the lucky girl who got to 'fight' with the Fire Breather Natsu. She opens the tiny pouch and finds the dark crystals he explained to her inside of it. She quickly grabs a handful while dodging punches from the man. She runs backward, almost tripping over her feet, but managing to stay upright. She watches as he suddenly yells, _"Fire Dragon's Roar_!" And the fire rushes to meet her. She side steps it, like he told her to do, and blows the crystals into the flames with her breath. The flames turn a dark purple, then a bright green, then back to the fiery orange. The crowd cheers and hollers appreciatively. You would think Lucy was already a part of the circus.

But, the funny thing was, she wasn't.

Natsu smirks before sending more blasts of fire at her, missing every time, but making it look like she was dodging perfectly, which most of the time she was. She twists around as a flame hit where she was just standing, to see another gaining on her quickly. She had almost no time to move. She was going to be-

No. She wasn't. Because she was the fastest thief in Thieve's Guild, and she was sure as Hell faster than fire. She sinks to the ground, on her knees, then brings her torso back until her back touches the ground. She pops the crystals into her mouth and spits them into the fire as it burns about two inches above her nose. The fire changes from orange to blue, to turquoise, to a deep red, and then back to normal. The fire dies out, and Lucy lifts herself up, laughing so hard it hurt. Natsu comes over to her, looking concerned, but the look is quickly snapped away when he sees the look of pure joy on the beautiful woman's face.

"That...was...AWESOME!" She yells, still laughing. She hands the crystals back to him, and he shoves the pouch of them into his pants. He hold out her hand to shake, and she does, only to be pulled into a position where he had his arm slung around her shoulders,

"Give it up for Taylor-san! The bravest blonde chick I've ever met!"

Lucy laughs and says, "Thank you, Natsu-dono." She decides to be extra polite. She earns a smirk and a simple,

"Just Natsu, please."

Lucy nods, "Then, I should probably tell you my real name. Since you're letting me just call you Natsu."

Natsu looks eager, "Cool, a mystery! I knew Taylor wasn't your real name!"

Lucy laughs and says, "My name is Lucy."

"Luigi? Cool!"

Lucy rolls her eyes, "Lucy, stupid!"

"Oh...sorry!"

Lucy laughs again, before saying, "I have to go back to my seat."

"Oh..." Was it just Lucy or did he look kind of sad? "Okay..."

Lucy untangles herself from him and starts to walk away, still giggling slightly.

"H-hey, wait!"

Lucy turns, a curious look on her face, "Hn?"

Natsu smiles brilliantly at her, "Come backstage, after the show. I wanna introduce you to everyone! They would love to meet someone as nice and cool as you!"

Lucy blushes and says, "Okay! I'll be there." _What a fool._

"Cool!" _Gosh, she's really cool. I hope she'll stay._

"Well, see you later." _Piece of cake. Too easy, really._

Natsu watches after her, smiling slightly. He gazes at her as she climbs the bleachers and sit back in the dark corner where she sat before. He had noticed her only because she was still holding the golden umbrella. And thank the Heavens above she was, or Natsu would have never met the super nice Lucy.

She adjusts the golden umbrella in her jacket before slipping back into the large tent. Everyone else was gone and she decided to keep her promise to Natsu because she had to(only because she had to! There was nothing else involved!). She glances around a keeps to the shadows, looking for a certain fire-breathing pink-haired boy. So far, she's only seen Erza the Titania who she found scary, and Juvia of the Rain, who she found creepy. She sighs almost silently, praying that he would remember and stick to his promise. She really needed that fool to get on the inside of _Circus de Fairy Tail_, amazingly enough. Of course, he had no idea what he was really doing and was near powerless to stop it. Thieve's Guild would have the Fairy Tail fortune one way or another, and her beloved Master _will_ be the ultimate mage. She was going to make sure of it. They would be the richest, the most powerful, the deadliest, the biggest guild ever imagined, and they will eventually spread their rule overseas. The very thought of it made Lucy want to cry out in victory right there and now.

And she would have, have she not been hiding among the shadows.

Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, Natsu walks out and looks around expectantly. That's when she decides to make herself known. She slowly slinks out of the shadows and small smile on her face. Natsu spots her instantly and rushes over to her, "Luigi, you came!"

"It's Lucy, baka."

"Oh...sorry!" Natsu says, smiling and Lucy...well Lucy couldn't help but smile right back.

"Is this her, Natsu?" A squeaky voice pipes. Out of the blue comes a..._blue_ cat with big eyes and small wings. Lucy's eyes widen slightly and she says,

"Cool."

The cat smiles hugely at her, "Natsu, she's nice! She called me cool!"

Natsu smirks, "Didn't I tell you? And did you see how quick and flexible she was? I knew she was it the second I lay eye on her!"

Lucy cocks her head, "Who?"

Natsu winks at her and says, "The girl Master Marcov met at the train station. He said that you were coming and that you were going to be the only mage in our entire audience! He said that I should call on you and no one else."

Lucy's eyes widen once again, "H-he knew I was a mage?"

"Yeah! But he didn't know which guild you were in...which guild are you in?" Happy asks, eyes bright.

Lucy ponders inwardly for but a second before saying, "I am not in any guild."

Natsu and Happy gasp, "Well, you need to be! Oh! I have a plan!" He looks at Happy, and Happy looks at him. They nod and smile, before saying at the exact same time, "You should join Fairy Tail!"

_Far too easy._

"Yes, she is already in Mangolia. No, Marcov, she will most likely not stay to her task after being among your boisterous guild. Lucy Heartfilia's parents were slaughtered. Yes, yes, that Natsu boy did take a liking to her. Do you think she is the one? Fine, you can have her for 100 million jewels. Thank you. Its been great doing business with you. No you should not tell her of this, she will only come running back to me. Yes, keep her oblivious to the fact that you know. Thank you. Goodbye." Master Goliean sighs before hanging up the phone.

"You've spoken with him, Master?"

"Yes." He looks at Chestlie Vix, a sad frown on his face, "I just wish it hadn't come to this, selling her away with her knowledge..."

"It was all for the best, Master. Lucy would have betrayed you soon anyway. With a past like her's and a guild like that? I'm surprised she hasn't forgotten about it already."

Master Goliean slowly nods, "Y-you're right, Chestlie...she would have betrayed me. She always said she needed some more spice in her life, and now we have sold her into it. She'll be fine..."

Chestlie smiles seductively at her Master, before coming over and massaging his shoulders. "Yes, she is in better hands now..." A knowing smile appears on Chestlie's beautiful face.

_Finally, that bitch is gone._

**Well, there ya go! I'm sorry if it's shorter than last time, my back and hands are hurtin! Anyway, please review! I put up two chapters in one day, so REVIEW. Thanks.**


	4. Vacant

**Hello, and welcome to another chapter of **_**Circus de Fairy Tail**_**. I thank everyone for reviewing and fallowing. I couldn't ask for better fans of my story! So, thanks again!**

**Last time on **_**Circus de Fairy Tail**_**,**

_"Oh! I have an idea!"_

_"You should join Fairy Tail!"_

_"Finally, that bitch is gone."_

**Now...on with the fanfic! BTW, I do not own FT, because if I did, Natsu would make a move already.**

**ALSO sorry for taking so long! I hope you can forgive me!**

OoOoOoOoO

Lucy smiles endearingly at the handsome Natsu(not that she found him handsome or anything!), truly enjoying herself, "Me? A Fairy Tail member? W-why, I don't know, Natsu-san..."

"Just Natsu, Luce, and don't demean yourself! You would be a fantastic member! Right, Happy?"

Happy nods avidly, his eyes bright and excited, "And you can meet Charlie-chan! Ah...she is as beautiful as the setting sun!"

Lucy can't help but smile at Happy's love for this 'Charlie'. "Oh, I still don't know...you really think I've got what it takes?" She was playing the part rather well. Lucy was always the best actress.

"Of course you do! Now, come on! I want you to meet Erza!" Natsu exclaims.

Lucy swallows a gulp as he grabs her hand, "O-oh? E-Erza-dono? Are you sure? She might not like me..."

"Not like you? Pfft, Luce, you're hilarious!" Natsu laughs.

This time, Lucy gulps.

About three minutes later, Lucy is standing in front of the ever powerful Erza Scarlet, who's eyes were as cold as steel.

"Hm? Who is this Natsu?"

Natsu was about to answer, but Lucy cuts him off, gaining a strange and foreign courage, "The name's Lucy. I believe you are Erza-dono, no?"

"Yes, I am, Lucy-san. And please, just Erza-sama."

_What a woman!_ Lucy thought as Erza took her outstretched hand and shook it, her grip firm against Lucy's. "O-okay, Erza-sama."

Suddenly, Erza Scarlet's take-control attitude and expression changed to a one of friendliness and mischief, "I am just kidding, Lucy-san, call me just Erza!"

Lucy nods, a little bit ashamed that she took the scarlet-haired swords master's words to heart, "Very well, _Erza_." She testes it on her tongue. What a beautiful name. It made her own look like a fool.

"So, Lucy-san, I believe you are the mage everyone's been talking about? The quick and brave blondie from the crowd?"

"Yes, Erza, and please, just Lucy. 'San' makes me sound a little too old for my liking."

Erza laughs, and Lucy notes that even that sounded full of control and dominance. Lucy was starting to like this woman, and obviously the feeling was mutual because Erza says, "I like you, Lucy. You're funny. I have a feeling we are going to be friends."

Lucy smiles, "Great! Your guild kind of intimidates me, with so many powerful mages, including two Dragonslayers."

"Oh, not just two!"

Lucy's face goes slightly pale, "E-eh?"

"There are three, Natsu-whom you have met, Gajeel, and Wendy."

"W-Wendy?"

"Yep! She is the Dragonslayer of the Air Dragon. Gajeel is obviously the steel Dragonslayer, and Natsu is the fire Dragonslayer."

Lucy feels a slight sweat appear on her brow, and she tries to contain the panic. "R-really?" _Three? Two was bad enough!_

"Yep! Are you feeling okay, Lucy? You look a little pale."

"I'm fine! Real fine! It's just_...wow_. Quite a guild you got going on here...so why become a circus?_"_

Erza laughs that dominating laugh again, "Oh, do not worry, we all still take jobs! The circus thing...it is kind of a side job."

"A _circus_ as your _side job_? Never heard of that one before."

Natsu is smiling next to Lucy and with an impatient shove(that was still very gentle, but pushed her kind of far) towards the rest of the guild members, he says, "Okay, okay! Enough with Erza! Come meet Marijane!"

Lucy smiles a huge grin, "Marijane? You mean _the _Marijane? The one from _Sorcerer's Magazine*_?"

"Yep!"

"Woah!"

"H-hey, wait!" Is Erza's reply to Natsu's rather rude insert. "I was talking to Lucy!"

"Well, she needs to meet nicer people!"

There is a growl, before suddenly all Hell breaks loose in Fairy Tail. Lucy jumps out of the way as a large wooden chair flies at her. She darts to the side, looking at the now fighting Erza and Natsu. Natsu's fists are aflame, and Erza is in her Flame Empress Armor, her sword flying at the young male. They battle it out as Lucy starts chanting words, _"Shadow, Shadow, Erza and Natsu Shadow." _She is clutching a long necklace with an onyx gem at the end of it, and it begins to glow. Lucy automatically feels the use of the spell drain her magical power to a low 34 percent remaining, and she is slightly faint. Natsu is just about to take a punch from Erza when their own dark shadows rise from the ground and wrap icy cold tentacles around the two warriors. Erza gasps at the chill of it, while Natsu is yelling, "Wow, this is cool!"

Lucy steps towards them, slower than usual because of the power sap. She frowns and says in a strong voice, "No fighting, please. I do not like it when friends fight each other."

Erza stares at the blonde mage and says, "A-are you a shadow mage?"

Lucy giggles, "No! I just use a pendant that stores magical shadow energy. Even though I am not a shadow mage, I can still use the power. I am already a master!" Her tone is now prideful and cheery.

Natsu laughs, "Cool!"

The scarlet haired Titania is also trying to contain a smirk, "Can you let us free?"

With a quick nod, Lucy releases her magic on them and the puppet-like shadows flood back into the ground, bending to the shape of their masters again. Erza smirks and nods approvingly at Lucy, "You will be a valuable asset."

Natsu suddenly growls and says, "Not just an asset! A good friend too!"

Lucy's face goes slightly red and she murmurs, "R-really? A-a friend?" Lucy had never had one before, and the thought warmed her up inside.

Natsu looks at her, a big smile on his friendly and open face, "Yeah! You and me are already friends, right, Luce?"

Said woman nods slightly, face getting more red and heart beating faster. _Friends with Natsu? T-that sounds...awesome...as he would say!_

Erza smiles and says, "Yes, now, on to Marijane!"

Natsu gives a knowing smirk to Lucy, _Ha ha _it said.

Lucy giggles and walks with Erza and Natsu, while Erza pointed out members,

"Over there is Elfman, a take-over mage. He complains a lot about manliness. Next to him is Evergreen, a mage who can turn anything into stone. That is Levy, a nice word mage notorious for reading too much."

Lucy liked this Levy already.

"Sitting on both sides of her are Jet and Droy and all three of them make up the Shadow Gear team. Sitting on the counter over there is Cana, a card mage who is an alcoholic. Next to her is Gildarts, a S-class mage who is Cana's father."

Lucy's head was swimming with information as she took it all in. She would need to know this if she were to build up her defenses. As they come to the bar counter, a white-haired woman turns around, a smile on her beautiful face. Marijane.

"Oh! Hello, Natsu, Erza, and..."

Natsu was about to greet Lucy, but the blonde spirit mage butts in, "Lucy. Lucy Heartphilia." She takes Marijane's outstretched hand for a shake and smiles sweetly, turning on her charm with this one. She's heard about Marijane's reputation of the 'She-Devil'. Lucy wasn't dense. She would have to be careful with the seemingly purely kind woman.

Marijane smiles back, "Would you like a drink, Lucy-san? And something to eat? You don't look too hot."

Lucy cocks her head, "I feel fi-"

She suddenly faints.

"Lucy!" Natsu yells, diving to use his arm as a pillow. "W-what happened?"

Erza looks down calmly, "Must have been when she used the shadow magic. It's obviously not her true magic, so it drains more power than usual. She should be fine."

Natsu frowns and picks Lucy up, throwing him on his back. He looks at Marijane, "You knew, didn't you? That's why you offered her-"

"Drink and food? Yes, I could tell. She was playing tough, ignoring the signs of a drain in her magical energy. She will be fine, as Erza said." She goes to the sink behind her and fills up a crystal glass with water. She hands it to Erza, "Make sure she drinks this when she wakes up. Do not wake her up before two hours, or it could be catastrophic to her body."

Erza nods and turns to Natsu, "Where do you want to take her?"

Natsu thinks for a minute, "How about my room?"

Erza raises a single eyebrow, "How do you think she'll react if she woke up in a man's room?"

"Oh...right. Fine, your room."

"How about the vacant room?"

"Sure."

Natsu and Erza walk towards large doors in the southern wall. Members stare as they walk by, and a raven-haired man walks up,

"Is that the chick from the crowd? So you did take my advice to invite her to join? That's unusual." His voice is mocking, his eyes narrowed in mischief.

Natsu stares at him, his eyes narrowing in anger, "Yeah, she is, ice-breath. And she isn't _chick _she's Lucy. Get it right before I fry you."

The ice mage smirks, "Touchy, touchy. Well, tell me when she wakes up. I want to meet her. Why did she even pass out anyway?"

Erza cuts into the conversation, "She used up a lot her magic energy when she used shadow magic, when it isn't her native power."

"Well, what is her magic?"

"We don't know. Go put some pants on, Gray."

Gray shrieks and exclaims, "How'd this happen?" And he runs off to search for his discarded pants.

Natsu rolls his eyes in an annoyed but amused way and mutters, "Stupid ice-boy."

Erza gestures for them to carry on to the doors. She opens them easily when they approach them, and they take a left, heading down a long hallway. Doors were scattered everywhere on the walls, even on the ceiling and floor. They come to a normal door that was labeled, 'VACANT' in sloppy hand writing. Erza pushes it open, and they both slightly wince at the the screams of the door scratching the uncarpeted concrete. There is only a single bed, a small bedside table, and a rather large wardrobe. The three enter silently, and Natsu heaves Lucy onto the bare bed. She lands with an thud but she only turns in her sleep, dreaming on.

Erza shoots a dark look at him, making him cower a bit. She frowns and gestures that they leave.

"Maybe we should stay..." He whispers loudly, making Erza wince as Lucy turns in her sleep again.

She glared at him, "Why?"

"So she doesn't freak out when she wakes up."

"We might just make it worse. Plus, the longer we stay the bigger the chance of you accidentally waking her up."

"Why just me?"

"Because I have the ability to stay silent for more than three seconds."

Natsu scoffs, "I can stay quiet way longer than three seconds!"

"Really? Prove it."

Natsu nods and shuts his mouth. 3. 2- "What if-"

"Ha!" Erza whispers, "It has been proven. Now, _get out_."

Natsu pouts and sulks away, shutting the door to the empty room behind him. Erza looks at Lucy, a small smile on her face,

"I was expecting you to come, but not just yet, Celestial Spirit Mage Lucy Heartphilia. I'm surprised Master Marcov actually let you get anywhere near Fairy Tail. I wonder what he's playing at..." She smiles fondly at the girl as she turns in her sleep, muttering something about fire to herself.

Erza stands from the bed, re-quiping into her normal armor. She had forgotten earlier that she was still in her Flame Empress Armor.

Sighing, Erza walks to the center of the room, sitting in a crossed-legged position. She closes her dark brown eyes and sighs again.

OoOoOoOoO

Natsu sulks into the main hustle and bustle of Fairy Tail, his eyes downcast. A young girl walks up to him as he sits at the bar, her long blue hair swishing.

"What's wrong, Natsu-kun?" The young girl asked, a worried frown on her petite face.

Natsu looks at her and sighs, "I wanna be with Lucy but Erza was saying I can't shut up for more than three seconds and then she kicked me out...I'm sad, Wendy."

Wendy giggles, "I can see that. Where's Happy?"

Natsu glances around to see the flying blue exceed talking avidly with Pantherlily. Probably about fish. "Over there..." He sighs. "Now I have nothing to do. Luce was stupid, using magic that isn't native to her. What is her magic anyway? I will find out!" His demeanor changes drastically from depression to determination. It made Wendy smile fondly at him,

"I wanna know too!"

"Okay, Wendy. We'll get her when she comes out! Which will be in, like, two...hours...ugh..." He falls back into depression mode, startling Wendy.

"Natsu? Natsu! Stop acting so _weird_!"

OoOoOoOoO

**There you have it folks, please review! If you have any ideas, I'll take them! But please, nothing **_**too **_**crazy. I will not take any that involve lemons. I do not plan to include that in this story, so PERVERTS BE GONE! I'm just kiddin', we're all perverts on the inside!**

**Lol, I hope everyone has a nice summer!**

**PARADISE.x**


	5. Boom

**Hey y'all, and greetings to the 5th chapter of **_**Circus de Fairy Tail**_**. Awesome, right? ANYWHO? Just a recap, last time, Lucy FAINTED. How horrible. Well, she **_**did **_**use too much of the Shadow Magic and it's foreign to her body, so, it **_**is **_**all her fault...whatever.**

**Thanks to EVERYONE who has reviewed. I mean, **_**damn **_**22 reviews and it's only the 5th chapter? This is more than I could imagine! You all rock and I strive to make everyone proud! Keep on reading, I love you all! (no homo to all of you who are girls!)**

**Now, on with the Fanfiction!**

OoOoOoOoOoO

They were getting closer. _Duck into the corner, dive under the crates, they will not glimpse you. Hurry. You have two point five seconds, woman, GET IT TOGETHER! _Lucy's mind was in hyper-drive as she dodged the fire balls. There! She was right! She takes a steep dive to the right, into a dark alley. She tumbles, expecting to see the welcoming sight of the crates, but there is nothing. Nothing. NOTHING. Too make matters worse, a dark voice seeps from the shadows,

"Time's up, Lucy."

Natsu.

She turns, a plea on her lips. Surely she still had this idiot wrapped around her finger! But she stops when she sees the dark look on his face, and his fists clenched threateningly. She gulps and steps back, only to find a wall of cold and angry Fairy Tail mages. She backs away from them to turn to Natsu.

"N-Natsu...please...It's Lucy. It's _Luce_! Or did our friendship mean noth-" She is cut off as he slams his fist into her face, shooting her into one of the brick walls to the left of the alley. She coughs, to be greeted with the horrible sight of crimson on the dark ground below her, it's color enhanced like in some dramatic horror movie. She slowly turns her head to him, every nerve on fire as he starts to move closer. His eyes, usually so kind and forgiving, now cold and filled with murderous rage. She is scared shitless just by that _look_. She can't move, and she feels as if she was drowning.

"N-Natsu..."

"Your time is up, Lucy." He says darkly, and the entire Fairy Tail guild picks up the words, repeating them over and over again. Suddenly, the alleyway disappears and she is being showered with gold. She sighs in content and watches as her Master smiles and says,

"Great job, my dear Lucy. You make a master proud."

Lucy smiles before the happy look is replaced by one of horror. Behind him is every member of Fairy Tail's heads in one massive bloody pile. There, at the top, is Natsu's, eyes still wide open in terror, mouth still moving to mouth the word, _"Lucy..."_ Suddenly, the Master is there, at the top, a sadistic smirk on his scarred face, as he drives the pole right into Natsu's open mouth. Blood sprays everywhere, coating her Master in the stuff. At the top of the pole is the Thieve's Guild Insignia, sewn into a black flag as it flutters in the wind. She backs up, suddenly feeling a great weight on her hands. She looks down to see her own two hands covered in sticky crimson, knowing that it is Fairy blood. Her mouth opens wide as she lets out a blood curdling scream.

Lucy shoots up, screaming her head off. Her hands are covering her ears and clutching her blonde hair, her knees curling into her chest.

"Lucy! Lucy! Please, calm down!" A dominating feminine voice barks, a hint of worry mixed in. Rough but slim hands grab her hands and pries them away from her face. "Lucy, calm yourself..."

Lucy looks up to see Erza Scarlet, eyes slightly wide in surprise and confusion. She takes a shuddering breath in and nods, shaking out her blonde hair. She recalls the last part from her dream and frantically looks down at her hands, seeing only the pale skin. She sighs in relief and looks at Erza, "I am sorry, Erza...just a bad dream..."

Erza's usual glare is now soft and sympathetic, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Lucy shakes her head no and smiles unconvincingly at the scarlet-haired mage, "It's nothing worth talking about."

_Boom!_

Lucy and Erza snap their heads in the direction of the sound, to see the door on the ground, charred beyond belief and a frantic looking Natsu standing in a defensive position, "ERZA, WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO LUCY? I HEARD HER SCREAM!"

In the next moment, he is on the ground, cradling his bruised head, groaning in pain. Erza is glaring at the poor dragon-boy, fist still raised threateningly.

"N-Natsu! Erza wasn't doing anything to me. I just had a bad dream and I guess I woke up screaming."

Erza nods in agreement as Natsu heaves himself off the floor, "Oh...well, what was your nightmare about?" He gets in Lucy's face, a suspicious look on his face.

"U-uh, erm..."

"Erza was beating you to a pulp in it, wasn't she?"

_Thwack! _And just like that, Natsu is on the floor again, groaning in pain.

Lucy giggles nervously and says, "No, Erza was not beating me to a pulp in it. I-I don't really wanna talk about it..."

Erza nods and picks Natsu up from the floor, dragging him towards the charred gap in the wall that was the doorway, a scowl on her face. "I am sure Lucy wants privacy. We shall wait to give you the rest of your tour when you are ready, Lucy. Do not hesitate to come get either me or Natsu."

And she drags the groaning Natsu out, stepping over debris while not bothering to pick the fire-breather up over the chunks of fallen wall. Lucy giggles slightly, before recalling her dream. She looks at her hands. Why was she so scared of them? They weren't going to find out. She was far too careful for that to happen. Yet still, she was fearful that somehow they would figure out her devious plot and make her pay for deceiving them. That was a fate she prayed she never saw. And why was she so scared when she saw the heads of Fairy Tail guild members? Why did she even care? Why was she so sorrowful when she saw Natsu's decapitated head? It was all too confusing at the moment. She still felt slightly dizzy at even the slightest move and her eyes felt like someone washed them out with far too much water. She blinks quickly, hoping she did not have blood shot eyes.

She picks herself up from the bed, standing on unsteady legs. She forces herself to stand at full height, refusing to let this enemy guild see even an ounce of weakness. The blonde celestial mage walks slowly to the 'doorway' and jumps over fallen debris. She instantly names that a bad idea because she felt insanely dizzy afterwards. She clutches a wall, sure that her eyes were swirling lines. She pushes herself off the wall, standing up straight again, head held high, and makes her way down the surreal and definitely magic hallway, towards the main cafe of Fairy Tail.

When she enters, she is greeted by the sight of Natsu and the man known as Gray in a fist fight, both yelling, trying to demean the other. Lucy can't help but smirk as Natsu yells,

_"Slanty eyed strippin' perverted icy asshole!"_

She stifles a loud laugh and makes her way to the bar, walking in a wide arch around the two brawling boys. She sits on a cushiony seat and looks at her hands, an embarrassed blush on her face. How weak she felt! She _fainted_ because she used 'too much' power. Lucy Heartphilia doesn't faint because she used too much power! She makes other faint because they can't keep up with her! God, she was so pathetic! _You are a pathetic waste of skin. _She roars in her mind, getting angrier and angrier with herself. Those words had been used on her so many times by her 'loving' father.

_"You are a pathetic waste of skin, Lucy."_

_"You don't deserve to live in my house."_

_"Get out of my sight, Lucy, I'm working."_

_"Get the Hell out, you insolent little brat!"_

_"I hate you, Lucy."_

_"I hate you, Lucy."_

_"I. Hate. You."_

She clenches her teeth and whispers, "Feeling's mutual, pops..."

"Hn, Lucy-san?" The sweet Ms. Mirajane**(Got it right this time!)** says, confused, to the depressed Celestial Spirit mage.

Lucy looks up and smiles slightly, "N-nothing, Mirajane-sama. Just talkin' to myself. Can I have a glass of water, by any chance?"

Mirajane smiles sweetly at her and nods, "Sure thing! Didn't Erza give you the water earlier?"

"Hn? What water?"

Suddenly, Mirajane's personality changes drastically, "I _told _them to give you water when you wake up!" She growls.

Lucy laughs nervously, "C-calm down, please, Mirajane-sama. It is okay, really."

Mirajane growls before smiling sweetly again, "Okay!" She walks over to the sink, and rinses out a glass, before filling it up with ice cold water. She brings it over to Lucy, who accepts it with a thanks. Lucy chugs it down, draining it in one gulp.

"Ah!" She sighs in excasty, "That hits the spot! Hey, have you seen Erza? I need to see her for the rest of my 'tour'."

Mirajane shakes her head, "No, I hav-"

"LUCY! I'LL TAKE YOU!" Natsu bellows, rudely cutting off Mirajane. He runs up to Lucy and slings a arm around her tiny shoulders, "Who needs mean old Erza? I'll give you a fun tour of Fairy Tail!"

"No, you'll give her a meaningless and childish one, flame-brain." A deep voice says behind them. Natsu turns to fix a dark stare on Gray. Gray comes over to Lucy and holds out his hand for her to shake, "I'm Gray Fullbuster, you must be Lucy Heartphilia."

She shakes his hand, finding it icy cold, "Yep! It's nice to meet you, I've seen your magic during your act in the circus. It's truly beautiful!"

Gray chuckles, pleased, "Thanks, Lucy-san. From a pretty girl it really means a lot."

Lucy blushes ever so slightly while thinking, _He isn't wearing pants..._

Natsu growls and knocks Gray upside the head, "Hey, ice-freak, put some damn pants on."

Gray looks down, "How in the Hell?" He scampers off to find suitable clothing.

Natsu shakes his head, amused at the ice-mage's oblivious nature. He was the one to talk...

Lucy sweat drops, before looking at Natsu, "So, that tour?"

"Oh, yeah!"

OoOoOoOoOo

**I know, EXTREMELY short, but I really needed to update. I will be posting a one-shot, NaLu of course! But I don't know what I'll call it yet...oh, well. Review please!**

**Thanks,**

**PARADISE.x**


	6. Savior

**Hello, hello, hello, I am your guardian PARADISE.x ...Yeah, I would be concerned too. I got this from Series of Unfortunate Events. Ahahaha, I love that series.**

**Greetings to chapter six of _Circus de Fairy Tail_! I was going to name it 'Will You Stay' because of the fact that Lucy plans on leaving FT after she robs them but Natsu is all like 'will you stay' and some romantic shit like that. Lolololol. ANYWHO, thanks to everyone who reviewed and will review! If you have any ideas for this story, just either review (cause I always look at the reviews!) or PM me! Thanks everyone for reading!**

**Oh, and _gomen nasai_ for taking so long! I promise you, when August ends, I will be updating like mad! You won't know what hit you! Expect an update almost every night! Or every two nights...whatever. You get the point. You see, I'm saving up to buy a laptop. And my mom says she's gonna match my money so I only have to get 224 bucks. The real device is 448 bucks so yeah...plus, with my conveniently placed birthday on August 20th I will rake up the birthday cash! Ahahahahahahahahaha. Trust me, it'll be all good, you'll see! I promise! _Hai, arigato, _for all of you who understand!**

**Now, onto the tour of FT!**

OoOoOoOoO

"Let's go Lucy! I'll show you the inside of the guild first, then I'll show you the circus stuff!" Natsu exclaims as he drags the bewildered Lucy along towards the bar of the guild. "As you know, this is the bar!"

Lucy nods, smiling at Natsu's excited face. _Maybe he was lonely before I came here...Don't feel bad for him! Pay attention! You might have to escape through here at a later date! _She thought to herself, "Yes, Natsu, I know this is the bar." She chuckles softly but squeals as he starts to drag her off again, "N-Natsu!" His grip is tight on her wrist, but his tug is gentle. His palms, she notices, are calloused and hard, giving Lucy the idea that he works with them a lot. Probably a good fighter. Lucy's mind begins to wander as she thinks of horrid situations where Natsu would be punching her with those hands repeatedly, but she quickly brushes them off. He didn't seem like the type to hit a girl too much. Even if she betrayed his trust.

"Off to the dorms!" Natsu barks excitedly, marching over to a giant set of wooden doors. "You must have already seen the-"

"Confusing hallway? Yes." Lucy cuts in quickly, having an aura of disbelief around her. "Magically made, I presume?"

"Mhm! Gramps uses his magic to build the entire guild, including everyone's dorm room, every time we move somewhere."

"So a magic transport?"

"Yep!" Natsu turns and beams at her, smirk toothy and open. Lucy can't help but smile back. "Who knew you were so smart Lucy!"

Everyone in the guild shrinks back in horror as Lucy delivers an almost fatal kick to the side of Natsu's pink-hair clad head, sending him through a wall. Cana laughs while Erza eyes Lucy and the groaning Natsu dangerously, effectively making Lucy cower in fear of the red-haired she-demon. Natsu groans again as a piece of debris hits him in the stomach and he passes out from lack of oxygen.

"Oops...I didn't mean to hit him _that _hard! Its his fault for calling me stupid!" Lucy exclaims, still cowering under Erza's dark and intimidating gaze that promised death. She begins to inch away, chuckling nervously, "Seriously! I did not mean it! Okay...maybe a little...but I swear it was not meant to be that hard!" The blonde mage backs up as Erza gets closer, the Titania not breaking eye-contact. As she gets closer and closer, Lucy's nervousness spikes higher and higher. Was it forbidden to fight amongst one another here? No, that wouldn't make sense, Gray Fullbuster and Natsu were fighting earlier...is there some policy that only close friends can fight? So, Lucy just got here and she must have broken that rule and Erza, being the only responsible looking one here, is the one who delivers punishment!

Erza towers over her, the darkest look Lucy's ever seen on her features. "Lucy..." The guild hold their breaths, fearing the worst and feeling the worst for the poor blondie, "...nice kick!" Erza exclaims and throws an arm around Lucy's shoulders. "Makes me proud to see a young woman asserting her authority!"

Lucy resists the urge to face-plant into the ground and instead smiles nervously, "R-really? You're not mad?"

"Mad?" Erza snorts, "No! Just don't fight any more, okay? Since you're new, I will allow this, but _nakama_ do not fight amongst one another!" Her tone goes from happy to dangerous and commanding, scaring Lucy again.

Suddenly, Mirajane makes an appearance behind the counter, holding a giant beautifully made cake that was conveniently flavored strawberry. Erza's head snaps in the direction of the food and her eyes go wide.

"Erza! You're cake is ready!" Mirajane exclaims, a sweet, sweet smile gracing her features. Erza's eyes sparkle and she smiles in appreciation.

"_Arigato_, Mirajane!" Erza exclaims and she bounds away to the bar, as excited as a child on Christmas morning, leaving Lucy petrified by Erza's mood swings. Must be her time of the month...

Suddenly, there is another arm slung around her shoulders, taking the beautiful Titania's place. Lucy gasps and looks up, chocolate brown meeting dark blue. Gray Fullbuster.

"Lucy-san! I will take on a tour of this shit-hole, since obviously the falme-freak can't do it." He sneers in the direction of the still unconscious Natsu, who was being healed by a sweet looking young girl with long blue hair. "He'll just show you pointless things."

"U-uh, t-thanks, Gary-san. I would enjoy that." Lucy says, smiling a bit, face hot.

This does not go unnoticed by Gray, "No need to be embarrassed, Lucy-san! We all need help sometimes!"

Once again, the 'Lucy Kick' was delivered, and Gray joined Natsu in the infirmary.

**OoOoOoO**

In the end, it was Master Marcov himself that took Lucy on a tour of the gorgeous guild that was Fairy Tail. This place had everything! A pool filled with beautiful sparkling water that was ice cold to the touch, just the way Lucy liked it. There was a cafe outside, but since it was dark, it wasn't as enjoyable, but the blonde mage enjoyed the cool air on her face. They did not even bother going to the dorms because no one would appreciate the newest member of the guild already knowing the secrets of their rooms. There was the S-class second floor, which Master Marcov did not let Lucy go up to, but she didn't mind. She was too busy laughing at the irony of it, her being an S-class mage in her real and only guild. When Master Marcov looked at her weird when she openly stifled a giggle, she simply said, "Nothing, Master, just a little tickle in my stomach." This seemed a reasonable explanation, and off they were to the one place Lucy thought she could actually fully enjoy.

The gigantic and monstrous library.

Lucy giggles as she climbs the large sliding ladder, a big shit-eating grin gracing her delicate features. Master had left a long time ago because he had gotten bored with the mass amounts of books and the squealing clestrial mage. She reaches for a book titled 'DAY BREAK' by her favorite author. But when she takes one look in it, she groans in disgust and puts it back, not bothering to do it carefully. "You disappoint me." She mutters as she pushes herself and the ladder to the left, giggling again as she feeling the breeze on her face. This is when she realizes that she was still wearing the black cloak. She frowns, debating wether or not to take it off. "Hm...it might get cold, but it's so tacky...and it clashes with my skin tone!" She whines in dismay, deciding to take it off. She reaches her dominant hand up to unbutton the the collar where it all connected, her tongue sticking out at the effort. It was always difficult to unbutton this damn thing...!

That's when she lost her footing and began to plummet towards the ground that was 50 feet down. A scream rips from her throat, her stomach flipping nauseously. She falls perfectly, clutching her hands to her chest, squeezing her eyes shut, legs tight together and slightly bent at the knee. This was it...!

The strong arms wrap protectively around Lucy and she is clutched to a hard vest clad chest. She sees the familiar red Fairy Tail symbol on his right shoulder, and she ceases her screaming. For some reason, she trusted this boy...for the moment. They land on the ground, a frown on the Salamander's handsome if not boyish-cute face, "Woah, be more careful, silly Luce! That was a close one!" His voice was darker than usual, but she took that as a sign that his words were true. Her usually pale face was dark with red, and she stutters,

"S-shut up, Natsu! I didn't need your help!"

"Obviously you did, Luce. Don't be prideful." He snaps back, before regaining that boisterous and cheery. He smirks down at her, some locks of his spiky pink hair hanging in his face. It made him look adorable and sexy at the same ti-

_What the fuck am I thinking? Stop thinking about him that way, girl! _Lucy exclaims in her mind, gulping and looking away, "F-fine...just let me down Natsu, before I kick you again." Natsu is quick to let her down, and soon enough she is on her feet again, even though she is kind of shaky.

"How'd you find me?" Is Lucy's first question.

Natsu looks at her in surprise, "Hm? I'm a DragonSlayer, Lucy. I have better senses than your average human! I could hear your screams a mile away even though no one else, but Gajeel and Wendy of course, could hear you. I was just quick to the scene."

Lucy nods, a bit surprised, "So, like, ultra hearing, eyesight, and smell?"

"Mhm!" Natsu smiles that adorable fanged grin, closing those big and slightly pointy onyx eyes.

"That's...pretty cool, Natsu!" Lucy giggles, closing her big orbs of milk chocolate. "You're pretty strong, aren't you?"

"You know it!" The DragonSlayer laughs, a thing that made Lucy want to both laugh along with and melt into his arms.

_Stop thinking like that, stupid!_

**OoOoOoO**

_His teeth grazes her neck teasingly, his hands running up and down her side in mock tenderness. "Stupid girl...you can't escape me now, it's the end of the line, my beautiful." His whispers in the ear of the poor 12-year old girl, who was shaking. He suddenly yanks on her hair, brining her head back with tremendous force. She squeaks in pain but nothing more. Oh, how she wished she could just disappear again, run away, like she's done so many times before, like she always does, like she's done all the times she had to hear her father beat her mother senseless in the other room, Layla's screams echoing in her head as she runs from that horrid mansion, and into the world beyond the house. A single tear falls down her dirt and blood covered face, leaving a single clean streak, cutting through the grime. Everything about her father sickened her. His cold eyes and how they would flare in anger and disappointment whenever they would land on her. His booming voice that called her horrific names so many times, for hours on end. His body, now, pressing against her, his breath tickling her neck, erection presses against her back. But what sickened her most was herself. Even now, when her own life, her own _virginity_ was on the line, she just wanted to disappear. This ends now. It was time to face the facts._

_It was time to be brave, which she hasn't been for so, so so long now._

_Bundling up all her courage, she strikes as quick as a whip, heel landing on his toe. He howls in pain and lets go of her arms, which he had held behind her back painfully. She acts quickly, bolting away, towards that alluring door, whose light shined so inviting underneath, going across the floor, lighting up the tiles stained with blood._

_Her mother's blood._

_She can hear her footsteps echo off the walls around her, traveling through the empty room. She can't hear Judo Heartphilia any longer, and she doesn't care too. She never wanted to hear his slimy and disgusting voice ever again anyway. As she gets closer to the door, it gets farther away, always so close yet so far. Suddenly, the door swings open, showing three figures._

_Natsu, whose eyes were dark, narrowed, and unforgiving. A young petite girl with flowing blue hair down to her knees, anger etched into her features. And finally Gajeel, the iron DragonSlayer who looked murderously sadistic._

_"Time's up Lucy."_

"Lucy! Oi! Wake up!" A loud voice booms in her ear. She groans and faces the other way, sheets crinkling. She was so comfortable right now and he just _had_ to ruin it, didn't he? She groans again and finds herself whining, _"Five more minuets..."_

"No, not five more minuets, Lucy! It's time to wake up!" His voice is like nails on a chalkboard, and Lucy groans again. Slowly her eyes open and milk chocolate meets deep onyx. She shoots straight up and growls warningly at the stupid boy who dared disturb her deep sleep.

"NATSU! What the Hell are you doing in my ro-" Lucy cuts off and blushes, "Man, I've spent one night in here and I'm already calling it my room..."

Natsu cocks his head to the side, an action she found adorable, "What do you mean? Of course it's your room! You're a Fairy Tail member now!"

For some reason, his words cause her present blush to intensify, "R-really?"

"Of course! You're family now! You're my _nakama_!"

Lucy cocks her head to the side, "Hn? _Na...kama_?" She asks slowly, her eyes wide and curious.

"Mhm! You're my _nakama_ and I'm your's!"

Even though Lucy didn't know fully what this..._nakama_ meant, she knew it had to be good, so she smiles fondly at Natsu, causing his face to brighten considerably.

_Maybe...Maybe this won't be too bad._

**OoOoOoO**

**How was that? Kinda short, I know, but oh well! I changed my mind guys, and I AM going to put some lemony goodness in it. But I'll have to practice first...erg...I've read plenty enough to get the gist of it ^.^ REVIEW AND BE HAPPY! Thats all I gots to say! So, _arigato_ for reading! Peace out!**

**PARADISE.x**


	7. Pain

**Hey everybody, PARADISE.x here! You know, the ever beautiful and forever clever one! NEVER PLAY AMNESIA ALONE! Amnesia is a game that scares me...the guy in it rapes people...**

**ANYWHO, enough of my constant fear of dark things (that includes most Japanese people...no rasicium intended...).**

**And a happy birthday to you too, SPAZZ! Thanks for the sweet review! So, in honor of you, I am dedicating this chapter to you, my friend! Think of it as a birthday present...a very cheap present that took me almost an hour to make! Har-har!**

** Now on to chapter seven of this amazing story that we all call Circus de Fairy Tail!**

**OoOoOoO**

Its loud. Too loud. Everywhere around her, there was noise. Too loud. _Too. Loud_! Lucy grumbles in her sleep and shakes her head, trying to shake away the noise. Maybe if she ignored it, it would go away...

But this _it _wasn't. It was persistent and completely annoying. It nagged at her ears, cut into the semi-nice dream she was currently absorbed in. It wouldn't go away. It was squeaky. And for some reason, it thought she had _fish_!

"H-Happy...go away..." Lucy mutters, scrunching up her nose in an adorable manner. She feels a prod at her shoulder and the squeaky voice exclaims,

"_Lucy_...give me your fish!" Happy exclaims, prodding her again.

This time, Lucy's chocolate brown eyes open and she narrows them in anger. "Happy! I don't have fish, so leave me alone!"

"Natsu told me you did!"

"Do you _smell _any on me?!"

Happy ponders this, before coming the conclusion of, "Well, no, but you do smell faintly like fish!"

Lucy bolts up from her spot on her soft and plush bed to stare at the blue-furred Exceed, "Happy_...damn neko_!" Lucy screeches and she dives at Happy, trying to either squish him or throttle him to death. The cat bolts out of the way, screaming in terror.

"Natsu! Lucy's trying to kill me!" Happy cries, darting out of the room through the still broken doorway. He flies over the rubble as Lucy sprints after him, her jumping over the fallen stones. Happy races down the surreal hallway, Lucy hot on his furry heels.

"Come here, you're only making it worse on yourself!" Lucy screeches, not stopping even after they entered the main room of the guild. Eyes locked on the two as Happy flew out of her reach, going up into the rafters in the ceiling. Lucy snarls, left eye twitching in anger. "Coward! Your magic will run out and you will fall! I can wait!"

"Oi! Lucy-san! What's the problem?" A deep voice calls to her.

Said woman turns her head to face Gray, who looked bored but slightly interested, "The damn neko said I smell like fish!"

"I meant it as a compliment, Lucy!" Happy cries from the ceiling, still flying around. Lucy faces him again and growls, deciding against using her wind magic amulet to fly herself up there. It would use up way more magic than the shadow one because she wasn't as mastered in it. She would have to work on that later...

"Ah. Poor cat should learn to keep his mouth shut." Gray nonchalantly comments. He looks up at the terrified cat, shakes his head, and walks off, leaving the angry Lucy to be...well, angry Lucy.

Two minutes later, Lucy gives up, her anger had faded and she felt sort of sorry for the cat. She 'tsk's and walks away, yelling up to Happy, "I'm not angry anymore. You can come down now."

Happy complies, floating down and sighing in relief when Lucy made no sudden movements towards him. He ventures off, searching for Charlie.

Lucy come up to the recently cleaned bar and sits down on a stool, "Hey, Mira-sama, may I have a drink please? I don't care what..."

Mirajane looks up from the beer glass she was cleaning with a white rag and smiles, "Sure, Lucy-san! Coming right up!" Her voice is cheery and sweet, warming Lucy's heart.

_I don't think I've ever heard someone so nice...and to think her old nickname was 'She-Devil'..._ Lucy thought to herself, a small smile on her beautiful face. "Thanks, Mira-sama!"

Mirajane hurries off to get her drink, leaving Lucy to look around. She glances around the guild, noting how many people there were. When her eyes reach the east wall, her eyes connect with a brown-haired woman's who was holding a large barrel of what looked to be some sort of tanish liquid. But the way her eyes were sort of glazed over, she could tell it was a strong liquor. The woman smirks at Lucy and winks, before taking a large swing from the barrel. Lucy looks away, coming to face a mug filled with hot chocolate, white marsh mellows floating on top. She smiles thankfully at Mirajane and takes a sip from the mug, basking in the warm feeling of the liquid as it slid down her cold throat. "Ah..." She felt as if nothing could ruin this moment...

Nothing but an annoying fire-breathing boy and his cat. Lucy groans when Natsu slings his arm around her shoulder and gets in her face, "Hey, Luce! Oo, hot chocolate!" He suddenly grabs it out of her hands and takes a big sip. Lucy stares at her empty hands, processing what had happened.

Realization in three...two...one...

"NATSU, GIVE ME MY DAMN HOT CHOCOLATE BACK!" Lucy screeches, hitting Natsu on the head, causing some hot chocolate to go down the wrong tube. He starts coughing as Lucy takes the drink back. She wipes where he put his mouth on and takes a sip of it, sighing in harmony again.

Meanwhile, Natsu was on the floor choking. People gathered around him and wondered if they should help.

"Gray-sama, help him!" Juvia says, eyes sparkling at the thought of her Gray-sama heroically saving the day.

"Oh, hell no, I don't want to put my lips on that thing!" Is Gray's automatic comeback. Juvia pouts and looks away.

Suddenly, Erza bursts from the crowd and kneels over Natsu, "I shall save this poor man!" She declares, molding into a heroic pose. She pinches Natsu's nose with her fingers and opens his mouth. She puts her own on his and breaths out into the hole. A few seconds later, Natsu coughs up the brown liquid and stutters out, "L-Lucy-y...what the Hell?!"

Lucy just noticed the actions around her and looks up from the delicious hot chocolate, "Eh? What happened?" She looks at Natsu's still slightly purple face and exclaims, "Natsu, what happened?! Are you okay?!"

Lucy watches as everyone face-plants and cocks an innocent and well-trimmed eyebrow, "What?"

Natsu coughs out, "N-nothing, Lucy..."

Lucy smiles and turns back to her hot chocolate, getting lost again in it's murky depths.

Natsu rolls his onyx eyes and stands up, wiping his mouth of Erza. He cautiously approaches the blonde female that was Lucy Heartphilia and sits besides her, "Uh...Lucy?"

Lucy takes a second to acknowledge him, "Yes, Natsu?"

"Gramps wants you to go to his office and talk to him."

Suddenly, everyone who heard was 'oooh'-ing like she did something wrong. Lucy shoots them a look but still gulps, "Did he say what for?"

"No." Natsu replies.

Lucy sighs and picks herself up from the chair. Natsu and Happy fallowed behind her like a pair of lost puppies, which was ironic because Happy was a cat.

"Why are you two fallowing me?"

"Cause we have nothing else better to do?" Happy says, although it sounded more like a question.

"Whatever." Lucy deadpans, and she walks down a hallway that lead to the library but cut off into a different hallway. At the end of that hallway, there was Master Marcov's office door. When the three reach the door, Lucy knocks quietly.

"Come in." Master Marcov says through the door. Lucy, Happy and Natsu enter.

The room is large, all centered around a gorgeous fire place that sat in the far wall of the room. Before that was Master Marcov's desk, where the owner was sitting at. There were two chairs in front of his desk, Lucy took one and Natsu sat in the other. Lucy looks at Master Marcov expectantly if not nervously. Natsu just looked around, probably debating on how fast things would catch fire in here.

Master Marcov looks up and smiles, "Hello Lucy, Natsu."

"Hi, Master." Lucy squeaks.

"Yo, Gramps!" Is Natsu's rude reply. Lucy elbows him in the ribs, only hurting herself in the process. Natsu pretends to be hurt, which causes her to pout. Master Marcov watches this exchange with interest. Natsu hasn't been this teasing with a girl in a long time...ever since-

"Hey, Gramps, we gonna get this show on the road or what?"

"Oh? Ah, yes, yes. Lucy," Lucy perks at her name and looks at Master Marcov, "It's time you get your Fairy Tail symbol."

Oh, God. Lucy had totally forgotten about that. If they gave her one, they would find out she was in a different guild! The second she puts one on, her old Thieve's Guild one will be forced off her skin in a very painful manner. It would hurt like Hell, and Lucy knew she couldn't just hide that, especially since it would be _ripping off her skin_.

"R-really? Are you sure I'm ready? I-I mean, I've only been here, what, two days? I can't possibly be fully accepted..." Lucy manages to get out through her shock.

Natsu looks at her curiously, "Of course you can, Lucy! You're a Fairy Tail member now!" Then he flashes the most handsome fanged grin she has ever seen and she feels her knees go weak.

"U-uh..." She stutters, blushing madly, "I-I don't know..."

"Nonsense, Lucy!" Master Marcov cuts in unhelpfully, "I will put it on now!"

**(I know Mirajane put it on in the anime, but just bare with me.)**

Lucy starts to panic. _Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! Damn you, Marcov!_ She thought to herself as her eyes twitches, "O-okay..."

"Excellent!" Master Marcov says, a smile on his old and wrinkly face. There is a _pop_! and suddenly there is a Fairy Tail guild insignia floating in the air. "What color do you want it?"

Lucy gulps and says, "P-pink..."

"Where do you want it?" Marcov asks as the insignia turns from white to pink in a second.

She holds out her right hand, back facing upwards. Her hand is shaking, much to her dismay, _Stop it, stupid hand!_ She screeches at it in her mind. As the guild insignia slowly comes down, she feels her heart rate go quicker and quicker, and she starts to sweat bullets. _Its gonna hurt...!_

And that it does, when it attaches to her skin. White hot pain races through her, going from her hand to her back, where her Thieve's Guild insignia was located. She resists the urge to scream bloody murder and instead says in the strongest voice she could muster, "C-can I go to my room p-please? I forgot-t some-ething I n-need with me..."

Natsu looks at her worriedly before glancing at the Master. Master Marcov nods and just like that, Lucy is gone, out the office door and down the hallway.

She couldn't feel anything but the pain. She couldn't hear anything but her own thoughts screaming in her head. She could barely see in front of her. When she turns down the hallway, she faints for a second, before coming to and picking herself off the floor. She limps into the main guild room, trying to look as normal as possible.

"Congrats Lucy on getting the mark!"

"You're one of us now, Lucy-san!"

"Congrats, Lucy-san!"

She barely hears the compliments and cheers as she heads to her room. She smiles a pain filled smile at everyone and nods-that hurting too- before tripping into the surreal hallway. Somehow she manages to get to her room, that now had the words '_Lucy Heartphilia_' written in bold ink across the door where 'VACANT' had been. Lucy coughs, noting blood in it. Not good. She needed to be in privacy _now_! She heaves open the door-_When did that get fixed_?!- and slams it shut behind her. Her breathing was coming in short pants now as she rips her shirt off, loving the feeling off cool air on her bare shoulders and back. She could feel the skin ripping and it _hurt_.

OoOoOoOoO

**Thats the end of chapter seven! Haha, cliff hanger! haha. So close to my b-day now! Haha. Review if you want the next chapter! And say happy birthday to SPAZZ! Hahahaha.**

**PARADISE.x**


	8. Platter

**Y'ello everybody! So, last chapter, Lucy was in much pain from having two different guild insignias on her body! The reason why it hurts is because her magic is switching 'loyalties' between dark to official, because Thieve's Guild is a Dark Guild. So now, she's in her room and in major pain! Ahahahaha, poor Lucy.**

**Thanks everyone for the sweet reviews! It does my heart good to see people who care ^.^**

**Now, onto this story!**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

The pain was excruciating, the sweat was cold and her skin was burning. She clenches her teeth as she locks the door, almost blacking out by the movement. She limps over to her bed, falling onto it, back facing upwards. She breaths in and out, trying to rid the nausea from her stomach and head. She bites down on her lip to keep herself from screaming out loud. The last thing the celestial mage needed was unwanted attention. She hears the sound of ripping flesh and smells burnt skin.

"O-ow..." She whimpers in pain and almost faints again.

An hour passes by, and the pain starts to fade. Lucy gulps and pants for breath, "G-God, I hope it's done..." Another wave of pain shoots through her and she screams bloody murder. She gasps and bites onto her pillow, cutting off her voice mid-scream. But it was too late, the damage was done.

Soon enough, there is worried banging on her door, "Lucy! _Luce_! Are you okay?!" Natsu yells through the door. His yell is fallowed by,

"Lucy, open the door!" By Erza. She sounds worried yet also demanding.

Lucy gulps in air and says weakly, "G-go away..." She knew Natsu could hear her.

"No Lucy, we will not! Now, open the door or we will break it down!"

Lucy's chocolate brown eyes widen in fear. He would do it. He was all bark and bite. "N-no...I-I'll o-open the damn doo-or..." She mutters and heaves herself up, noting the pain that shoots through her back_. Breath regularly, act normal...you may be able to convince them nothing is wrong_... She thought to herself. She trips to the door, biting back groans of pain. She had to look normal!

She manages to make it to the door, just in time too, for when she opened it a little, Natsu had his foot up and prepared to break down the door. Lucy smiles faintly at them, and Natsu puts his foot down. He tries to open the door fully, but Lucy keeps the door open just a fraction. "See? I'm fine, just over-reacted to stubbing my toe..." She lies through her teeth and ignores the guilty feeling her gut.

Natsu frowns at her, not yet convinced, "But Lucy...you screamed like you were being tortured or something, no way that came from just _stubbing your toe_!"

Erza nods in agreement, stepping forward, "Lucy, you were in more pain than that, and you _will _tell us what happened." She then locks a death glare on Lucy, who gulped nervously and found herself frozen in fear.

"U-um..."

Natsu gets in her face, narrowing his dark onyx eyes, "Luce_...tell me_."

Lucy backs up, allowing the pair to enter her room. Natsu looks around, as if searching for something- or some_one_. Erza does the same, before staring at Lucy,

"So, what happened?"

Lucy smiles softly, ignoring the sharp pain that bit at her back, "N-nothing..."

"Oh really? Then why are you shirtless and sweaty?"

Lucy glances down, seeing her bright red undergarments. She screams and dives onto her bed, covering her nakedness with her fluffy blankets. "Go. Away!"

Natsu turns(thankfully he had not seen her) and raises a bemused eyebrow. "Luce, what are you doing?"

Lucy's usual pale face goes a dark red and she stutters, "G-go away!"

"But, Luce-"

"_Go away_!" Lucy snaps, cutting him off mid-sentence. "I don't need you guys here right now, so go away!"

Erza narrows her dark brown eyes, "But you were in pain, and I will figure out why!"

Lucy growls and says, "I'm fine, thanks for worrying, but I'm fine. There's no one in here, so stop looking! Natsu, that means you, so stop looking in my shower!" She snaps at the fire DragonSlayer, who was pushing back her pink shower curtain. He peeks back at her and smiles sheepishly. He walks back into her bedroom and glances around, fists clenched.

"So...you're fine?" He says, eyes narrowed distrustfully.

Lucy rolls her own brown orbs and says darkly, "Yes! No, _go_." She demands.

Muttering to themselves, Erza and Natsu oblige, walking through the ajar door and down the hallway. Lucy sighs in relief, glad that one, the two were gone, and two, the pain had disappeared as well.

"My luck must be coming back!" She says brightly, before heaving herself off her bed and standing up straight. Her back didn't hurt anymore. She experimentally coughs, and there is no blood in it. She smiles in mollification and goes to her dresser. Last night she had put some of the clothes she had brought with her in it. She opens a bottom drawer and takes out a tight pink shirt. She throws it over her shoulder before walking carefully into her bathroom. When she sees her reflection in the mirror, she groans in dismay.

Those beautiful golden locks, which were always placed so carefully to frame her face perfectly, were in tangles, in bunches here and there. And her eyes, _oh her eyes_! She wanted to die right then and there. Her gorgeous milk chocolate brown eyes were heavily bloodshot, and there were deep dark bags in the skin underneath. She groans again and prods her skin, feeling clamminess. She was pale, well _paler _than usual, and sweat still lingered on her skin. She had a feeling her back was a mess, but she decided to look anyway.

When her eyes locked on the horrid imagery, she almost faints. Where her Thieve's Guild insignia used to be was red blisters and purple bruises, like she was hit by a crowbar a gazillion times! Thankfully, there was no blood, even though her skin had been ripping. She should have known...she should have had Master Goliean remove her symbol before she came. God, she was so _stupid_...but shouldn't have Master Goliean remember**(ed?)** that? Shouldn't he had have her go through the necessary precautions? It was all so confusing for Lucy, and she decided to ignore it for now, and pay attention to the problem at hand.

Well, first things first.

She wouldn't be able to wear any cute short tops!

That horrid news caused Lucy to frown, pout, and whine, but she reluctantly throws on the pink shirt, which covered her wounds perfectly.

Lucy walked back out into her bedroom, ignoring the pain, and went to the door. She opened it slowly, glanced around as if afraid of something, and cautiously strolled out, glancing around nervously.

She was just waiting for a boy and his cat to pop out of nowhere and bug her again.

She skips down the surreal hallway, noticing the pain that bit at her feet, but she chose to ignore it. When she got into the main guild room, she wasn't surprised to see many people dwelling about. She glances around again and cautiously steps into the room...

"Oi! Luce!"

Oh God. Lucy's slyness has failed.

Lucy groans inwardly and looks at the fire DragonSlayer, "Yeah, Natsu?"

Natsu smiles and trots over to her, throwing his arm around her shoulders, oblivious to her stuttering about her 'personal bubble', "Let's go on a mission!"

Lucy cocks an eyebrow and says, "A mission? Aren't only partners and/or teams supposed to go on missions together?"

Natsu looks slightly hurt, "I thought it was obvious, Luce!"

"What was obvious?"

"That you, me and Happy were a team!" Natsu says like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Lucy sweatdrops and says, "N-no, I did not notice this..."

"Well, you sure are noticing now! Now, come on! I'll let you pick it out...!" He says in a sing-song voice.

Lucy cocks her eyebrow again and says, "That's okay. You chose."

Natsu smirks a huge toothy grin at her, "Wow, thanks Luce!" Then he is gone, leaving Lucy to miss his heat.

_What are you saying, woman?! Get your damn head out of the clouds and pay attention! He is coming back..._ She thought to herself, staring at Natsu dead in the eye as he approaches. He is glancing around almost nervously and he gestures Lucy to fallow him. Said Celestial mage rolls her eyes and fallows one step behind. They enter the surreal hallway but go in the opposite direction of Lucy's dorm room. Instead, they head down the boy's end of the hallway, and at the very end is a scorched door labeled 'SLAMANDER'. Lucy cocks her head at this but chooses not to say anything, fallowing the leading boy inside. He gestures for her to close the door behind her-which she does- and he looks around excitedly, "Let's do this mission!" And he hands her a sheet of paper from inside his vest. She looks down at it, and her eyes widen.

_S.O.S.!_

_We are in need of at least two S-class mages from the Fairy Tail guild! An evil tyrant has been plueging the streets of Moonlit Taverns Town! No one knows quite what he looks like, but his powers are well-known._

_He is a Shitai Chotatsu-sha, a corpse raiser! He brings back the dead in the form of soulless monstrosities that prey on human flesh! Please help!_

_Come to Moonlit Taverns Town around dawn if you wish for your trip here to be a safe one! Go to Mayor Mason's home on the top-most hill in the town. He will tell you everything._

_PAY: 2,000,001 jewels and one Golden Zodiac Celestial Key!_

_Wow, awkward one...and wow, a Golden Zodiac Celestial Key?! I need that..._ Lucy thought to herself as she read it, "B-but Natsu...this requires two _S-class mages_. We are not-"

"Blah, blah, blah, Lucy! You need some experience and I'm gonna give it to you on a silver platter!"

"Sure, I need experience while you need logic!"

"Pfft, logic _smogic_, are you coming or not?!" Natsu says, raising a pink eyebrow.

She looks back at the paper and weighs the pro's and con's. Pro's, she could get not only one million jewels, but a Celestial Golden Zodiac Key as well. Con's, she could get in a heapful of shit and she knew Natsu wouldn't help her, especially if it was Erza who was dealing out the punishment. The thought of it terrified her.

_"You dare go on a mission you aren't allowed to go on? You dare defy the rules?! You will be punished mercilessly!"_

Lucy gulps at the thought and she glares back at the paper.

One million jewels and Celestial Golden Zodiac Key versus Erza dealing punishment...

"Let's go on that mission." Lucy says with a devious grin. It is mirrored by Natsu as he says,

"Now that's what I wanted to hear. Come on, Lucy. Let's round of Happy and hit the road! This is gonna be fun!"

Now, if only Lucy knew how badly she would be regretting that decision.

**OoOoOoOoO**

**Dun, dun, dun, duuuuuuuuuuuuuuun! Another cliffy! Haha. Expect ****_very_**** long chapters for the next two...I have a lot of ideas that I need to carry out! Anyway, pip pip cheerio!**

**PARADISE.x**


	9. Mission P1

**Hello and welcome to Mission part 1 of Circus de Fairy Tail! Obviously this is a two-part mini-plot that I will have major fun in writing *sadistic smirk*! I will try to make it longer than usual 'cause I have so many ideas.**

**Well, this chapter and the next one is dedicated to my best friend CJ. Without him, I would have never written this story :)! He's my bestest friend in the entire world and he always makes me smile when I'm sad. Which is a lot...**

**Harhar, I'm sure you don't wanna hear about my suicidal urges. I'm getting that all straightened out with my super nice shrink! Or 'children's counselor' as they call her. Haha.**

**Now, onto Lucy, Natsu, and Happy's S-class and forbidden mission!**

**OoOoOoOoO**

The cold nipped at Lucy's shoulders. Her eyes went wide as the figure got closer and closer. It was limping, moaning, dragging itself towards her without any purpose other than to destroy her. She gulps in air and backs up against the wall, eyes searching for a weapon. Her hands go to her belt for her keys, but then she remembered those and her amulets had been taken, stashed somewhere she would never find. The figure is getting closer, the moaning and groaning loud in her ears. She couldn't find a weapon, she couldn't find _anything_. It was far to dark to know where exactly her pursuer was, more or less find a weapon in this pitch black cave. She gulps in buckets of air, trying to keep herself from going tunnel-vision. She had to focus. She had to be strong, even though she was so scared. She was scared of the man who sent this doom upon her, and she was scared of the doom itself. She wanted to disappear. She wanted to have more time.

_Time's up, Lucy._

OoOoOoOoO

Lucy stares at the groaning and green Natsu who had completely fallen apart when the train began to move. She raises an eyebrow and says, "You are so pathetic. If the enemy could just get you on something that moves, you would reduce to this. God, what a lame excuse for a DragonSlayer."

"H-hey..." Natsu mutters, before feeling like he was about to barf again, turning an even sicker green.

Lucy rolls her eyes, "Pathetic!" She says before glaring out the window into the dark night. She was in a horrible mood. Being forced to wake up by a fire-breathing boy and his pet cat does that to you.

Speaking of pet cats, Happy was curled up peacefully in her lap, snoozing away. Lucy found him to be quite cute, from his furry ears to his long sleek tail. She just wanted to dunk him in her coffee!**(If you have ever watched Madagascar, you will understand that sentence.)**

Lucy looks at the folded up Mission Request page and sighs. She was going to be in so much trouble when the three got home. But she would make sure to say that Natsu forced her into it. Yeah, Erza would believe that!

With an absent mind she strokes Happy's furry head as she opens up the paper with her other hand and rereads it carefully. _A Shitai chotatsu-sha, eh? Very rare and very illegal magic. No wonder they want the best of the best on this mission...exactly why it shouldn't be me and Natsu! Ugh, think of something else other than the punishment you will face when you guys return home!_ She thought to herself. But she couldn't stop a little voice in her head that whispered to her, _what if you _don't _come back? What happens then?_

Lucy growls and snaps, "I will come back! I am Lucy Heartphilia and I will survive this easy!"

"That's the spirit, Luce...!" Natsu says from the floor, groaning again.

Lucy feels her cheeks flare up in embarrassment when she realized she said that out loud but was please none the less when the little negative voice stopped talking.

A few hours later, the train stops at Moonlit Taverns Town Station. Lucy sighs in relief, happy to be able to stretch her legs. She shoots up from her seat, throwing Happy to the floor. He lands on top of Natsu and whines, "Lucy~ you're so mean..."

Lucy frowns, "Sorry, Happy! I'll carry you the rest of the way if you want!"

Happy smiles and flies up to her, resting on her shoulder, "Thanks, Lucy! I'm real tired!"

"Me too, sweetheart, me too."

Natsu groans and heaves himself off the floor, groaning again. Suddenly, the air to him changes from gloom to excitement, "Yes, the train stopped!" He pushes past Lucy-almost pushing her to the floor in the process- and runs out of the cabin, down the hallway, and out of the train. Lucy rolls her eyes as she and Happy fallow suit, shoving past people to catch up with their friend.

When they step off the train, Natsu runs up to the girl and cat duo. "Come on, slowpokes! I wanna eat!" He says, sniffing the air for food. His eyes snap to a heavily decorated stand where they were selling seafood, the main delicacy of Moonlit Taverns Town. He ponders for a moment, before running over to the stand. He takes one look at the prices and his hopes diminishes.

Lucy walks over to him, petting Happy who was resting on her shoulder, "What is it, Natsu?"

Natsu looks at the ground in dismay and points at the price board. Lucy looks at it and screeches, "_Fourteen hundred jewels for a squid pastry_?!" Natsu nods. Lucy growls and says, "We can find cheaper food elsewhere. This is just a tourist trap. Tourist are hungry when they get off long train rides so stupid little food merchants use that to their advantage. Gah, I hate businesses!"

_That's precisely why you enjoyed stealing from them so much, Lucy~_ A voice sings in her head, and she smirks in agreement.

She grabs Natsu by the vest and drags him along with her. He fallows without a word.

"We just need to get to the mayor's house and get the details on our mission."

Natsu sighs and whines, "But Lucy...!"

"No! We can eat after we learn about our mission. Look, I know you're starving and so am I-" She is cut off my her own stomach growling. "-See? After we learn, we will eat, and after we eat, we'll track this corpse raiser down! How does that sound?"

Natsu perks up, "Okay! As long as the mayor doesn't take all morning to tell us about the guy."

Lucy nods in agreement and the three walk down the street, Happy still snoozing on Lucy's shoulder.

OoOoOoOoO

"I only posted my plea three days ago. You Fairy Tail mages sure do work quickly!" Mayor Mason exclaims, smiling through his full length beard. Lucy nods and smiles,

"We tend to get stuff done!"

Natsu nods in agreement and says, "So, who is this 'corpse raiser' exactly?"

Mayor Mason sighs and says, "Oh, he used to be such a kind fellow. He never used his magic because he knew it hurt people. He was so innocent and fun to be around. It makes me sad that he fell into darkness."

"What do you mean, 'fell into darkness'?" Lucy inquires, leaning forward in anticipation as if she were a young school girl listening to a horror story.

Mayor Mason sighs again and states, "He just...became evil one day. In a snap, he was doing bad things, using his magic. One day he was smiling and helping out around town, and then the next...raising the dead and attacking banks, stealing jewels and causing mayhem. Yet, even through all of that, he wore such a kind smile, like he was helping at an orphanage instead of hurting people. Its the creepiest thing..." He sighs again.

"Mayor Mason...did you have a close relationship with the corpse raiser?" Lucy asks cautiously.

The mayor looks up at her and nods, "H-he was my son."

"Was?"

Suddenly, Mayor Mason's air of sadness turned to one of anger, "A killer and thief is no son of mine! I gave him everything, yet he preferred to work in the fields. I accepted that proudly and called him my son. But now...now that he is so terrible...would you want your child to be so?"

Lucy is taken back, "W-well I don't plan on ever having children but if I did...I would be the exact same way." She finishes, knowing that Natsu was staring at her in surprise.

Mayor Mason nods, "I know many don't agree with me. They say I should love my son no matter what...and I still do love him but...I can't stand the sight of him. I hate him. And I'm sure he feels the same way."

Lucy nods sadly, hating this story because it made her want to curl up in a ball and cry. It reminded her of her father when he found out she was secretly stealing for Thieve's Guild...he had disowned her and soon after that he was murdered by an assassin. Lucy was so sad yet so happy that day. She didn't understand her feelings then, and she still didn't. Another thing for another time.

Natsu suddenly spoke up, "If I had a son, I would set him straight. I would take his punishment into my own hands and I would deal it mercilessly. Don't worry, your son will pay for his actions." He is radiating anger and Lucy moved away, scooting down the love seat as far as it would let her. She didn't want to be near him if he went up in flames.

Mayor Mason nods gratefully, "Oh thank you! He was last seen in a cave on top of Dead Man's Peak, just south of here."

Lucy nods and stands up, picking the snoozing Happy-who was resting on her lap- and placing him on her shoulder. He grumbles in his sleep but other than that, nothing. She gestures for Natsu to stand up too. He does so, fallowing after her as the three of them begin to leave. When the reach the door of Mayor Mason's study, said political official calls out, "Oh, and Lucy-san!"

Lucy turns back, "Yes, sir?"

Mayor Mason blushes and says meekly, "M-my son has always had a thing for large breasted women so...uh...watch out..."

Lucy's left eye twitches but she says, "Okay, thank you for the warning, Mayor Mason!"

Mayor Mason nods and looks back to his work as the three leave.

_Those fools...they won't last long against him..._

OoOoOoOoO

"Close your mouth while you eat!" Lucy snaps at Natsu, who was currently shoving cheaply made food in his mouth. They had an entire buffet for the low price of nine hundered jewels. _Wow, this buffet cost less than that pastry! And look! Natsu has already eaten three of the same exact pastry! _Lucy screeched in her head, and she bites down on an octopus sushi. It tasted so good...**(they really do taste like heaven! I recommend you try one! But make sure to get it somewhere decent. I don't want any of you to get food poisoning...)**

"Awh, buf Lushi!" Natsu says through a tuna roll. Lucy rolled her eyes and looked at Happy who was munching happily on a well-cooked fish.

"Everything might be not be as good-looking as the expensive version but it sure as Hell tastes the same!" Lucy exclaims as she devours another octopus. Natsu nods in agreement with her and sucks in some hot herbal tea. He bites into a flaming chicken breast and sighs in harmony. Lucy smiles and munches on some seasoned fish bread- a high delicacy in Moonlit Taverns Town. She sighs as well at the captivating sweet taste and takes a sip of her own tea.

When they are done eating, and after they pay, the three walk out of the restaurant. Lucy smiles, "Okay, time to get to work! To Dead Man's Peak we go!"

Natsu nodded and smirked, "Yeah!"

They high-fived and started to run to their destination, neither one of them caring who saw.

OoOoOoOoO

Lucy pants and climbs higher, calves burning. Why did she run all the way here? Oh, right, she was _excited_.

_Stupid girl, you let yourself get sucked into his game._ A voice hisses in her head. 'Him' being Natsu, who was already on the top ledge, looking down at her impatiently.

"Hurry up, Luce! We don't have all day!" He calls down to her.

Lucy growls and shoots a death glare that could rival Erza's. Natsu cowers and says nothing.

When Lucy finally reaches the top, she collapses for a second, breathing heavily on the floor. Natsu peers down at her and nudges her with his sandal-clad foot, "Yo. Come on Lucy, we don't have time to rest. We gotta get this guy!"

Lucy nods, seeing reason in Natsu's words. She heaves herself up and snatches a water bottle from Happy, who had just flown up. She takes a large swig.

"Hey, give me some!" Natsu whines.

Lucy looks at him, "B-but I just drank out of it..."

Natsu quirks an eyebrow, "So?"

Lucy nods ion agreement, "Good point," She hands Natsu her water and he gulps it down easily.

_He really doesn't care about germs does he?_ She thought to herself, before snatching back the water bottle and hands it to Happy. "You thirsty, Happy?" Happy nodded and takes a swig.

_Wow, now I'm sharing with the cat who just ate fish...oh well, he killed it off anyway._

Happy puts the water bottle on the ground and says, "I'll pick it back up later." Lucy and Natsu nod and they enter the cave that loomed before them quite menacingly. Natsu just brushes off the ominous air, but this dosen't go with Happy and Lucy.

"Natsu...maybe we shouldn't just charge in. We should devise a plan. We are dealing with a _Shitai chotatsu-sha_! WHo knows how many people have died in this town?!"

Natsu considers this for a moment before shrugging, "I can fight some stupid undead army."

Lucy growls, "They wont fall like live people, Natsu! They'll keep coming!"

"So? If we take out the actual corpse raiser first then we won't have to deal with the army."

Lucy bites her lip, knowing that he was right. God, he was smarter than he looked, and it irritated Lucy.

"Fine...let's go." Lucy mutters. Natsu smiles brilliantly at her, causing her to blush faintly. Happy notices this and rolls his tongue,

"You liiiiiike him!"

_Thwack!_

Happy hangs over Natsu's shoulder, knocked out. Lucy growls menacingly, "Stupid cat!"

Natsu is confused, and he scratches his head, "But...don't you like me Luce?"

Lucy stares at him for a few seconds, before laughing. She laughs for a minute or two, before she calms down to just giggles. "Y-yes, Natsu, I like you. You're a good friend." She laughs again, before continuing on into the dark cavern. "Hey, Natsu, light up the place!"

There is no reply. The cake was getting darker and darker.

"Natsu, can you light up the place please?"

No answer.

"N-Natsu, this isn't funny. I'm fucking serious Natsu!"

Suddenly, there is a bright light. Lucy sighs in relief and says, "Thanks Natsu, and seriously, why scare me like that-" She is cut off by the sight she faces when she turns. She was staring into the rotting and mushy eyes of a decomposing body holding a torch. What skin it had left was hanging off the bone, and was colored a moldy yellow. The hand that held the torch was missing some fingers, and there was no skin, just brownish bone with slime and mud dripping off of it. The chest of the gorish creature was ripped open, showing squishy molding intestines and a decaying heart that wasn't beating. It moans and moves forward, towards her. It's jaw hung open uselessly, showing cracked teeth and black gums. Lucy holds in the urge to vomit, and settles with screaming instead. The sound must have disturbed the hideous beast, because it groans again almost angrily and moves towards her, as if to grab her. She turns and runs, screaming bloody murder the entire time.

_Shut up, woman! You might be able to get away if you quiet down! Better yet, use your keys! Call out Loke!_ Lucy reaches for her keys, but grabs at nothing. She stops. _What?!_ She prods the area where she always put her keys, "What the Hell?!"

"Looking for these, my dear?" A deep voice calls out to her. Lucy turns to be facing a tall man in his mid twenties. He had unruly black hair and cold brown eyes. He smirked at her and held up her ring of Celestial Keys.

_No!_ She thought and she growls, "Give those back!"

"Lucy was your name, right? Mine's Cj, its a pleasure to meet you." His eyes drifted down to her large breasts.

_Oh, brother._ She thought and she snaps, "Eyes up, pal! And I don't care what your name is, you're going to pay!" She reaches for her amulets...

To grab at air. "What?!" Lucy snarls and she looks down. Her amulets were gone! "H-how?!" She glares at him. He was holding her amulets now around his neck.

"What a sweet present, my darling. What a great gift to give your future husband."

The color drains from Lucy's face, "W-what?"

Cj smiles darkly at her, "You are so cute when you're scared and confused. You'll make a great wife."

"Fuck you!" Lucy snaps, getting into a defensive position. She would fight her way out one way or another!

Cj sighs almost lazily, "I hate it when we fight. Corpses, if you will..." He points a finger at her and suddenly, moaning and groaning abominations are running at her, grabbing for her.

Lucy screams and runs in the opposite direction.

Cj sighs again, and his eyes roll to the side lazily, "They always run..."

OoOoOoOoO

_That damn mage!_ Natsu thought as he raced towards the sounds of Lucy's screaming. Somehow he had managed to separate the two, without Natsu even knowing! How did he do that?! Natsu growls when he hears Lucy scream again. "Damn _Shitai chotatsu-sha_! You'll pay for messing with Lucy!"

OoOoOoOoO

The cold nipped at Lucy's shoulders. Her eyes went wide as the figure got closer and closer. It was limping, moaning, dragging itself towards her without any purpose other than to destroy her. She gulps in air and backs up against the wall, eyes searching for a weapon. Her hands go to her belt for her keys, but then she remembered those and her amulets had been taken, stashed somewhere she would never find. The figure is getting closer, the moaning and groaning loud in her ears. She couldn't find a weapon, she couldn't find _anything_. It was far to dark to know where exactly her pursuer was, more or less find a weapon in this pitch black cave. She gulps in buckets of air, trying to keep herself from going tunnel-vision. She had to focus. She had to be strong, even though she was so scared. She was scared of the man who sent this doom upon her, and she was scared of the doom itself. She wanted to disappear. She wanted to have more time.

_Time's up, Lucy._

**OoOoOoOoO**

**That's it for this chapter! Okay, so when thinking of Cj rolling his eyes to the side lazily, think of either Soul Eater from Soul Eater or Crona from Soul Eater.**

**Hahaha please review because this was a long chapter! Haha**

**PARADISE.x**


	10. Mission P2

**Hello everyone! Welcome to this chapter of Circus de Fairy Tail titled 'Mission P.2'! So far, Natsu and Lucy have been separated by the enemy! Lucy is running for her life from evil zombie things that want to kidnap her and force her into a wedding with Cj, the bad guy! Natsu is doing whatever it takes to find her and save her! Go, Natsu! SAVE YOUR FUTURE WIFE! Hopefully future wife in the anime...-.- Hiro-dono annoys me at times.**

**Hey everybody? Do you like horror? Do you love bloody disgustingness? Then check out ! Your #1 site for everything bloody and disgusting! Make an account today! PARADISE COMMANDS YOU!**

**Haha, my friend calls me Parie now...**

**Anyway, onto the fanfiction!**

**OoOoOoOoO**

Erza glances around, curiosity biting her. It was unusually quiet in the guild. Well, sounds of fighting and arguments filled the air, but it was missing something...it was missing something, but _what_? Erza glances around again, "What is missing...?" She whispers to herself. Her eyes land on Grey, who was sitting bored in a chair, his feet on the table. Erza marches over and says, "There is something missing, yet I cannot find what."

Grey looks up in surprise and says, "Eh? Yeah, Natsu is gone. So is Lucy-san and Happy."

Erza nods, "Oh, yes! I have noticed the guild was unusually quiet..."

Large crashing and glass breaking rings out, so does many laughs and bickering. Grey sweatdrops at Erza's view on things and says, "I wonder where they went..."

Erza agrees with a nod.

OoOoOoOoO

_No, no, no, no, no, no, no! _She screams in her head, dodging as a bloody and disgusting arm grabs at her. She gulps in moist cave air and she dives out of the way as a net comes down, catching nothing. As the corpses prepare to strike again, she runs away, out the way she came. _Get away, get away, get away, get away. GET. AWAY._

Lucy sprints like no tomorrow through the caverns, praying to either find a way out or find Natsu. Natsu...where the fuck was he? What was he doing, sleeping? Why wasn't he here helping her fight?! She growls and makes a mental note to destroy Natsu later.

She leaps out of the way as a corpse flings itself at her, its jaw snapping as if to bite her. She squeals as it's arm wraps itself around her petite waist and she hits the ground, banging up her nose painfully. Damn, that was going to be bruised...

"NO LET GO!" She screams, bringing her fist down onto rotting bone. Apparently the bone was so rotten that her hand went right through it, lodging into mushy and soup-like brains. Lucy lets out a choked off gag and she quickly pulls her fist out, about to vomit at the feel of cold mushy bits of brain. The corpse lets go of her, apparently...dead again?

Lucy launches herself up, staring in dismay at the large number of corpses that still came after her. She glances down the the corpse she just killed and a plan pops into her head, _Destroy the heads_!

She smirks and picks up a large rock that was on the ground by her left foot. She takes aim, thanking Heaven above for the torches that the corpses carried and she threw as hard as she could. The rock landed with a wet _thunk_ in the side of the lead corpse's head. Lucy cheers to herself, before running again, but this time she looked for possible weapons.

She came across a large rock and she smirked cruelly before picking it up and heaving it at the nearest corpse. "Yeah, take that you moldy waste of space!" It buries deep in the head of an undead solider and Lucy can't help but laugh triumphantly.

Of course, this is Lucy we are talking about, and that did not last.

"I wouldn't be so quick to assume victory, my sweet." A deep and smooth voice stated behind her. Lucy 'eep's and whips around, finding herself staring into the eyes of Cj. He has on a sly smile, and his eyes were dark with mischief. "There are plenty of more dead I can rise."

Lucy growls and steps back, hating how close he was to her, "Damn _Shitai chotatsu-sha_! Leave me alone!"

The Corpse Raiser sighs and says in a bored voice, "I'm afraid I can not do that, Lucy. You see, I need you. Just be a good girl and come with me. I promise I will make it not hurt." His smile turns kind and his words are gentle. Lucy suddenly feels like there is this great weight trying to invade her head, and she groans in pain.

"W-what are y-you doing to m-me...?!"

Cj smiles sadly at her, like he wasn't watching at girl wither in pain in front of him, "You are going to help me."

OoOoOoOoO

"Did you check their rooms?" Erza asked Grey skeptically.

"I checked flame brains room but not Lucy-san's. I saw the way she treated Happy when he went in her room without permission...more or less woke her up...and insult her...that cat must of had a death wish!"

Erza silently agrees, "So you didn't look in Lucy's room?"

"No."

"Ever think that they all might be in there?!"

"Pfft, yeah Lucy will let them in her room willingly when pigs fly!"

Once again, Erza silently agrees with the ice mage, "Fine then, let's check the library."

Grey sighs and says, "Again?!"

OoOoOoOoO

Natsu races down the rocky slope, cursing at the darkness around him. Long ago he had set his hand on fire, but he shut it off because he did not want to loose energy. He knew the guy they were facing most likely has grown used to the darkness, so Natsu would too. Happy wasn't too keen on the idea.

"N-Natsu, please make it bright..." Happy whines, hiding among Natsu's scarf.

"No. I've got to save my energy. We need to find Lucy and save her from whatever terrified her enough that she would scream like that."

"It could just be a ghost. Lucy is scared easily."

Natsu meekly nods in agreement to this, as if afraid Lucy would somehow overhear, even though Natsu knew she was nowhere near him.

_Lucy...where the Hell are you?!_ He screams in his head, jumping over a fallen stone.

Then, he hears it again. Lucy's scream. But this time, it wasn't out of fear. It was out of pain.

Something inside Natsu snapped, and he roared, "LUCY WHERE ARE YOU?!" His fist caught flame, as did his feet. The flames kept growing and growing until Happy was forced from his scarf.

"Natsu, calm down!" Happy squealed, and he cowered in fear as his best friend continued to catch fire.

"LUCY! CALL TO ME! PLEASE! LUCE!" Natsu hollered, wanting nothing more than to see his friend again.

He hears it, her call. It was begging, pleading, broken. She needed him, needed him now more than ever.

"_Natsu! Natsu!_" Her voice is shrill and frightful. Natsu heads in the direction of the echoing call, down slopes, through tunnels, into caverns that reached a good twenty feet over his head, and finally he reaches his destination. By now, the calls had stopped, and it felt as if a large rock was settling in his gut.

His eyes lock with his partner's and the gasp escapes before he can stop it,

"_Lucy_!"

OoOoOoOoO

Lucy was in pain. Even more pain than when she had two different guild insignias on her body. Even more pain than that time when her father had hit her so hard her jaw had dislocated.

In even more pain than when her mother died.

She grit her teeth as she was forced into a slightly torn wedding dress by hideous female corpses. She could tell that they all were once beautiful because of lush skin here and there, and even the occasional red lips. As the silk fabric is thrown over her head, she tries to move again, but white-hot pain rushed through her, stopping her movements effectively. A single tear escaped her left eye and she goes still. She closes her big brown orbs and resists the urge to cry out when the corpse tightened the corset around her chest, lifting up her breasts in a provocative manner. The white sickened her. She hated the color white. To her, it was nothingness, purgatory even. White, to her, was the bane of all colors, the most hideous one because it was so perfect, reminding her of all the flaws she had, physically and mentally. She hated white with a passion, yet she uttered nothing.

She clenches her teeth, glad that she could at least move the muscles on her face. She couldn't even turn her head, his influence was so strong. She felt weak, useless. She couldn't even cry for help. Her vocal cords were numb, and any word she tried to get out caused The Pain. That's what she decided to call the excruciating feeling that rushed through her when she moved. The Pain...and she knew that if she stayed here, she would be feeling a lot more of it after the wedding.

_God help me!_ She screeched in her thoughts. But that was laughable. She was Lucy Heartphilia, thieving murderer! God wouldn't save her. She didn't deserve it. And she knew this well.

But she could save herself. If only there was a distraction...if only Natsu was there. If only he was fighting Cj, then perhaps the influence on her could waver and she herself could get out of this mess. All she needed was a distraction. All she needed was Natsu.

So that's why when she heard the faint '_LUCY, CALL TO ME! PLEASE! LUCE!_', she felt herself begin to gain some control.

"Nat...su..." She murmurs, vocal cords on fire. "Na...tsu..." The Pain...it was everywhere, and it hurt so badly she wanted to scream, but she couldn't. She replays Natsu's urgent voice in her head, over and over again. _Natsu...why won'y you come to me...why won't you find me? Are you scared? Are you scared of the corpse raiser? Please, Natsu...Natsu..._

"_Natsu! Natsu!_" The scream rips from her throat. The female corpses groan in what sounded like pain and backed away from her, leaving her fully dressed except for her bare legs. They suddenly rush forward and heave the large and poof-like skirt up her legs. When the silk rests on her thighs, they tighten it with a strong lace, just like the corset.

Cj bursts in the room and he growls menacingly at the blonde Celestial mage. He grabs her by the arm, most likely leaving marks, "I don't know how you broke free of my control but try another stunt like that and I'll feed you to my corpses. Ever read fictional stories of man-eating zombies?! It'll be like that and ten times worse! Now, let's go, honey."

Lucy is once again under his influence completely as he drags her out of the dimly lit room and into a humid tunnel. The torches that seemed to have no pattern on the walls lit up the tunnel brightly, giving Lucy the displeasure of seeing undead guards that stood at attention. Cj turns around a corner, dragging her with him forcefully. Her arm hurt like Hell and she was surprised he hadn't broken it yet. Obviously he needed his future bride to be in perfect condition- excusing the bruises on her nose and her arm- for tonight. Lucy gags inwardly at the thought, for she could not show it outwardly because of the influence. Suddenly, they turn onto a hallway that hung over a large cavern. Lucy's eyes go wide when she spots what was at the bottom.

An army of the undead were all standing in a perfect line, thousands of them, maybe even millions. They just went on and on!

"Oh? Like my- oh, no. Silly me. Do you like _our _army, Lucy? Ah...Lucy...what a pretty name. What a pretty name for such a pretty woman." Cj says, not even trying to hide that he was staring down at her breasts.

Lucy wanted to punch him. Lucy wanted to beat him into the ground. Lucy wanted to make him bleed, make him plead for mercy.

Lucy wanted to _utterly destroy him_.

OoOoOoOoO

Erza peeks her head into Lucy's room, cautious and ready to flee at the first sight of an angry Lucy. Even the great Titania feared Lucy's death glares and screeching. A sad truth. When no angry Lucy comes out and starts screeching at her, the beautiful scarlet haired woman enters, a relieved smile her face. She looks around, not seeing Lucy, Natsu or Happy. She frowns as she stands in front of Lucy's dresser, before a suddenly sly smile comes to her face. She opens the top most drawer in Lucy's dresser as if it were her own and she peers inside.

"Wow, are these even underwear? They look like tiny pieces of cloth to me..." She inquires, holding up a red thong.

"Is that even a piece of clothing?!" A deep voice barks. Erza turns to see Grey, who walks in almost cautiously.

"Don't worry, she isn't here." Erza says. Then, she nods, "Yea, amazingly enough..."

Grey stares at the article of clothing for a moment before frowning and shaking his head, "Strange. Women are strange."

Erza nods, before, "Hey!"

OoOoOoOoO

Lucy was positioned at the foot of an aisle, chairs on either side of the long strip of carpet. The chairs held corpses dressed in tuxedos and dresses, almost like they would be if they were alive and at a true wedding. Lucy is sickened by it all. He sickened her, the man who was currently standing ate the head of the aisle, on a higher platform, as if he were better than everyone else, dressed up in a gorgeous tuxedo. Lucy could give a long list of men who she rather be in that suit.

_Grey Fullbuster_

_Gajeel Redfox_

_Elfman_

_Natsu Dragneel_

_Master Goliean_

_That guy who smokes too much_

_Natsu Dragneel_

_That guy who does nothing_

_Natsu Dragneel_

_Natsu Dragneel_

Suddenly, all she can think about is how much she rather have Natsu be in that suit, up there waiting for her. _Why, oh why am I thinking of marrying a guy I just met. What the fuck is wrong with me?!_ She thought, left eye twitching in anger. He probably did look really good in a tux...Lucy realizes she is beginning to drool inwardly at the thought of Natsu in a tux, smiling all sexily down at her...

_NO! Stop it! Focus on the subject at hand._ She thought hurriedly to herself, riding her thoughts of all things sexy Natsu. Was that even possible?

That's when the music starts playing and Lucy finds herself unable even to move her eyes from Cj's. She feels herself moving forward to the rhythm without her consent. She tries to fight, feeling The Pain again, but she ignores it. Natsu needed her, just like she needed him. She needed him so badly. She couldn't do this alone. She needed him. Cj was too strong for her. She needed him. She needed Natsu. And she knew he needed her.

Lucy's already at the altar. She steps up onto the platform, facing the corpse posing as a priest. It probably was a priest when it was alive. The thought sadden her greatly. She struggles, sweat dripping from her, mixing with the make-up that was forced on her. Cj smirks devishly down at her, knowing she could not break his influence alone. As the corpse priest began the vows, Lucy struggle some more. The Pain was so intense...she couldn't take it...!

"_Lucy_!" The holler hits her ears and she smiles. She actually smiles. She feels the weight leave. The Pain leave. The influence leave. Natsu...

_You God send!_ Lucy thought as she laughed. Her legs take off before she even knew what was happening. She was running full throttle at Natsu, a relieved smile on both their faces. She runs into Natsu, hugging him tightly,

"N-Natsu...I was so scared!" Lucy wails, holding on to Natsu tighter.

"I know, Luce, I know. It's okay. I'm here, and we'll give this guy the hard goodbye." Natsu murmurs in her ear, petting her golden hair. Lucy sobs into shoulder, loving the feeling of Natsu's strong arms around her. She was safe now...her partner was here. He was here and together they could defeat any evil.

Lucy lets go of Natsu and steps back, smiling at him, "Let's do it, Natsu!" She says, determined.

Natsu nods and grins at her, "That's the spirit, Luce!"

They high-five. It was so on.

Cj snarls at Lucy, "Pathetic woman, you should have done what I told you. Now you and your boyfriend will die!"

Lucy rolls her chocolate brown eyes, "Oh, shut up. He isn't my boyfriend. Get ready to die, _Shitai chotatsu-sha_!"

Cj smirks, "Don't you need your keys and amulets, foolish woman?"

Lucy smirks right back, and she holds up her keys, "As long as I got these, I don't need those shitty amulets! Now, let's go, eh?" She grabs a golden key with the sign of Leo on the head. Her exterior of sadistic triumph suddenly changes to one of relived happiness, _I'm so sorry, my friends. I'll never lose any of you again_. "Open, Gate to the Lion, Leo!" She yells. A bright light appears, taking shape of a tall man. The light fades, revealing a handsome man with unruly orange hair and black eyes hidden by green sunglasses. He is wearing a tuxedo and many rings on his fingers. He smirks at Lucy,

"Oh, Lucy! Long time no see!" His eyes connect with Natsu's, who was gaping, "N-Natsu?!"

"Loke?!"

Lucy quirks an eyebrow, "Why are you addressing Leo so formally, Natsu? And who is Loke?"

Leo/Loke smiles again and says, "I went by that name when I was apart of Fairy Tail."

Lucy stares at him before, "...WHAT?! You were apart of the notorious guild Fairy Tail and you didn't tell me?!"

Loke smiles slyly, "I-it was never important..." He says meekly.

Lucy glares at him, "We'll talk later."

"Am I in trouble?"

"Damn straight. Now, let's fight this guy!" Lucy says, a smirk on her face.

Loke suddenly remembers something. He reaches into his jacket pocket and says, "Virgo wanted me to give you this."

He hands her a long whip made of gold leather. There is writing on the side of it.

"_Fleuve d' Etoiles_..." She whispers. "River of stars..." She smiles, "Wow!" She nods to Loke, who nodded back.

Loke launches into battle, "_Regelus Blast_!" A golden light erupts from Lokes middle ring and it goes straight for the corpse raiser. Said man looks at the attack lazily, and literally hits it. It bounces back at Loke, who had to dodge out of the way.

"The Hell?" Loke exclaims, before looking at Lucy, "I'm not going to be much help if he can dodge my strongest attack."

Lucy nods and sighs, calling back Loke. Loke smiles apologetically as he disappears.

"Great. Natsu, what say you? Want to fight with me?" Lucy asks Natsu, who suddenly smirked at her.

"Hell yeah! Let's go-"

"Partner!" They say in unison., giving each other high fives.

Natsu smirks and lights his right fist on fire, "I'm all fired up!"

That's when the battle begins.

OoOoOoOoO

Happy flies down the stony passageway, clutching himself. "N-Natsu...! Where did you go?!" He whines, searching for his best friend in the dim light.

When the tunnel starts to shake violently, Happy squeals in fright, This wasn't just some earthquake rumble. he would know this destruction anywhere.

"Natsu, I'm coming!" Happy squeals, flying down the tunnel as quickly as he could.

OoOoOoOoO

Natsu jumps out of the way as the blade comes down. At least, _he thought_ it was a blade. It looked like is was made from bone, yet it was as sharp and as flat as a blade. The handle was made of bone, strong white bone. Natsu growls and decides to try to hit there next. If he could break the hilt of the blade, then Cj wouldn't be able to use it!

Unfortunately, the Corpse Raiser fallowed his line of vision and he barks out a laugh, "Like you could wound my precious _Kanashimi no ken_! You may be strong, young fire user, but you aren't _that _strong!"

Natsu smirks right back, making Cj's falter, "Yeah, the problem with that statement is, I'm no ordinary fire user." His smirk goes dark and sadistic as he breaths in a large amount of air,

"_Karyūnohōkō_!*" He yells, and fire burst from his mouth. It rushes straight at Cj, whose eyes were widening in disbelief and fear. The fire hits him straight on, completely obscuring him in flame.

Lucy, who had known Natsu would deliver this blow, cheers from her place off to the side. The half of her skirt the went under her knees was completely ripped off, because she knew it would be hard to battle in a long poofy skirt. "Good blow, Natsu!"

Natsu frowns and stares at the fire, though, as if Cj was still standing there. Lucy cocks her head in confusion before suddenly a long arm curls around her chest, crushing her to another one. A long sword came to her neck, and she went still. Natsu whips around, growling in an almost feral way.

"Let Lucy go, you bastard!"

Lucy gulps silently as she hears Cj's deep and smooth voice say from behind her, "After you surrender and let me kill you."

Natsu snarls, "If I do that, how could I know that you let Lucy go?!"

"Because I would have to let go of her to really kill you, idiot!"

Natsu scratches his head, "Good point..."

Lucy rolls her eyes, before shooting her elbow back. It lands home, sinking into Cj's gut. Cj groans in pain and his grip on her loosens. Lucy takes her chance and head butts him too, making him let go of her completely. She runs away, growling, "I'm no damsel in distress!"

Natsu smirks at her, "Of course you're not, but I really wanna fight this guy, so wait here! I'll buy you dinner for a week if you let me fight him!" He begs, eyes pleading.

Lucy sighs, knowing she couldn't fight Natsu's puppy dog look, "Fine..." She mutters, looking away.

"Thanks Luce!" Natsu exclaims and he rushes off to do battle with Cj, who had been staring at them like they were crazy.

"You bitch!" The Corpse Raiser snarls at her, forgetting about the charging Natsu for a moment. He turns to face Natsu, who threw down a flaming punch to Cj's face. It hits, snapping his face to the side. But, Cj retaliates with a kick to Natsu's gut, sending him flying in the opposite direction. Natsu hits a wall and falls to the ground.

Cj locks his eyes on Lucy, who snatches her whip, activating it and getting prepared to fight. Cj moves to her, growling, eyes lit up in hatred, "You will pay, bitch!"

Lucy was about to whip him but Natsu suddenly comes into the picture, whole body on fire, and he rams straight into Cj, pushing him all the way into a stone wall. Cj looks down at the fire DragonSlayer and he says,

"You will never beat me, DragonSlayer. Just you alone isn't powerful enough. I will end up victorious in the end and your little girlfriend over there..." Cj smirks sadistically, "Will be mine for the taking, and trust me I will take her all night long."

By the confused look on Natsu's face, you could tell he didn't know what Cj meant. Cj growls and says, "I'm going to rape her, idiot!"

Natsu is taken back, "Oh! Well, way to be blunt, buddy. And I won't let that happen. I'm might be stronger than you think."

"Oh really?" Cj suddenly grins as the corpse stabs Natsu in the shoulder. Natsu jerks forward and slowly turns to see the moldy undead soldier. He narrows his eyes in what look to be irritation.

"You call that a stab?!"

Cj is taken back, before he says, "_Eskai fishkai selemei salone de_!" It wasn't any language Natsu knew, but he had a feeling it was one Cj used to order around the dead.

Pain rushes through his body as the corpse starts to stab him over and over again. He hears Lucy call out to him worriedly, but he chose to ignore it for now. He is forced to let go of Cj and deliver a flaming kick to the side of the corpse's head, effectively taking it right off it's neck. The corpse falls to it's knees, then falls over completely, utterly useless now.

Natsu turns back to Cj just to be punched in the face. Natsu flies back, sliding on the ground a good twenty feet. He is still laying on the ground when Cj looms over him, "I have plenty more where that came from, DragonSlayer."

Natsu smirks weakly up at him, "What, the corpse or the girly punch?"

Cj frowns and narrows his eyes, "The corpses." He stands up straight, having bent over to look at Natsu fully. "_Rise my undead army, and taste the blood of victory_!"

Natsu's onyx eyes go huge when he hear the sudden moaning and groaning. The ground begins to vibrate with upcoming hoards of undead, and the air in the room suddenly smelled of rotten flesh and blood. Natsu resists the urge to vomit and instead launches himself up at Cj, head butting him square in the jaw, hearing the sound of bones cracking. Cj screeches in pain as he flies back a few feet and hits the ground head first. Natsu turns and stares as hoards and hoards of the undead begin to file in the large cavern.

_I can't fight both Cj and an army of corpses!_ Natsu thought worriedly, before he was punched in the face by an angry Cj.

He is thrown backwards a good ten feet and shakily stands up. Blood dripped from his mouth, and he wiped it away easy.

"Natsu!" Lucy yells. He turns to see Lucy standing in front of the undead army, whip and keys at the ready, "I'm going to hold these guys back! You fight the _Shitai chotatsu-sha_!"

Natsu smiles proudly at her and nods, "Aye!" He turns back to Cj, smile turning into an angry scowl. Cj had blood dripping from his mouth too, and his jaw hung awkwardly, as if it were broken. Natsu must have broken or dislocated it when he head butted him. Cj narrows his eyes at him and suddenly rushes forward, hands empty of the sword he had earlier. He must have dropped it.

Natsu dodges the punch to the gut and the kick to his head, and delivers and almost fatal elbow into Cj's nose. Cj stumbles back, howling in pain. Blood dripped onto the ground, mixing with the corpse slime that was on the floor. Natsu takes this quick time-out to check on Lucy. She had called out Loke, both already breathing hard from the use of magic and the exertion. They were battling the army of corpses...and _winning_. The thought of it amazed him. His eyes lock with Lucy's brown ones and she smiles at him, before urgently pointing at Cj. He turns, to find him gone. Natsu quickly glances around, searching for his opponent.

"Up here, DragonSlayer." Cj's deep and smooth voice barks, and suddenly a body drops down on him, flattening him into the ground. A hand comes up and shoves Natsu's face into the stone, most likely breaking his nose as well. "You will pay, DragonSlayer!"

Natsu groans in pain and finds it harder and harder to breath as his face got shoved deeper and deeper into the stony floor. _Damn it...can't move!_

Suddenly, the large weight on his chest is gone, and Cj is screaming bloody murder. Natsu heaves himself up and glares upward, towards the screaming.

It was Happy!

Lucy looked up from a corpse she just slaughtered, "Eh? Happy! Good job! Go Happy!"

Happy was flying around, holding Cj's weight of around 134 pounds. Natsu smiles up at Happy, "Thanks, Happy, I owe you one! You can drop him now!"

Happy obliges gratefully, dropping Cj into what was left of the undead army. If Cj just hadn't killed most of the corpses with him landing on them, then Lucy and Loke took out the rest. Now there was only Natsu, Happy, Lucy, Loke, and Cj left in the cavern.

Cj narrows his eyes at Lucy before suddenly launching himself at her. Lucy screams and brings up her arm to block the incoming attack...

But the attack never came. Instead, Loke stood in front of her, holding Cj in front of him off the ground by his neck. Loke snarls, "Touch my master again, and you will die."

Lucy smiles softly at Loke's statement and she says, "T-thanks Loke..."

Loke smirks at her, "Anytime, baby." He looks back at Cj and squeezes his neck, "Give me one reason why I shouldn't."

Cj stares at him, before smirking, "B-because y-you ca-an't." He manages to get out through Loke's choke hold.

Loke narrows his eyes and tightens his grip. Cj's face was starting to go purple. "Wanna bet? I wouldn't be so smart ass with me. Not in the situation you're in."

Cj grips his hand and his breathing becomes quicker and quicker. Lucy looks between Loke and Cj before suddenly shouting, "Loke, stop it!"

"But he hurt you..." Loke drawled out.

"I know, Loke, but we'll put him in jail where he belongs!" Lucy says, tugging on Loke's other arm.

"Luce, stop, this man needs to die." Natsu says, putting a hand on her shoulder. She throws it off.

"No! I won't let you two stoop as low as me!" She wails and she shoves Natsu. Natsu has to balance himself onto his other foot, but other than that, her shove did nothing to harm him.

Natsu cocks his head in confusion and says, "What do you mean, Lucy?"

Lucy's face drains of color and she looks away. Loke looks down at her sadly, knowing what his master was talking about. She had to murder a man once because he was about to figure out that she was really a thief. Lucy hasn't forgiven herself to this day. She still woke up with nightmares about it.

"N-not important, but we can't kill him!" Lucy wails.

Loke eases his grip on the man, and Cj's purple face goes back to it's normal color. He takes in a deep breath and wheezes out,

"You...fools."

Suddenly, a sword impales Loke in the gut. Loke stares down at it for a moment before turning to Lucy and saying, "Sorry, but I've got to go."

Lucy's eyes widen as her friend disappears, leaving Cj without his sword and standing on his own. He turns and smirks devilishly at Lucy and Natsu.

"Should have killed me when you got the chance, Lucy~" He says in a sing-song voice, voice majorly muffled by his broken jaw.

Lucy quirks an eyebrow, "Wow, I just realized how insane you are. You stab my friend?! I'm going to fucking kill you!"

Cj's smirk broaden, "Aren't you against murder, my little rabbit?"

_Rabbit?_ Lucy thought but she shakes it off, "For you, I'll go against my codes of honor." _If I can even have one..._ Lucy suddenly launches into battle, slapping Cj across the face with tremendous force even Lucy didn't know she had. Cj barrels into the ground, creating a Cj-sized hole. He picks himself out of the stone and growls at her, blood dripping down his face, jaw still hanging. Somehow, he smiles through that and launches a punch at her.

Natsu catches his fist and flips Cj over onto his back. Cj coughs up blood. "Wow, now we just look like bullies. S-class mission, my ass."

Suddenly, there is bright light and Cj begins to rise up off the ground. Natsu and Lucy watch in surprise as he rises higher and higher. Cj's jaw snaps back into place, as does his nose. Natsu's eyes go even wider when he realizes what he was doing.

"Luce, he's healing himself!"

Lucy nods, "I know," Her voice is a whisper, and her eyes widen more too as even the bruises disappear, leaving nothing behind. The light begins to fade, and Cj smirks down at them, "Did I mention I can heal myself?"

**OoOoOoOoO**

**Okay, I wrote ****_way too much_****! I guess there will be a part three! harhar.**

**Parrie's personal playlist:**

**Wild Horses-The Stones**

**Paint it Black-The Stones**

**Testify-Rage Against the Machine**

**Holiday- Greenday**

**Dragula-Rob Zombie**

**Gimme Shelter-The Stones**

**Love The Way You Lie-Eminem ft. Rihanna**

**Sympathy for the Devil-The Stones**

**Sex Type Thing-Stone Temple Pilots**

**Wicked Garden-Stone Temple Pilots**

**Haha, check it out!**

**PARADISE.x**


	11. Mission P3

**Wow. Part three of Lucy, Natsu, and Happy's forbidden S-class mission! I promise this is the last part of it lol XD**

**Thanks to everyone for the splendid reviews! You all make me so happy! Keeps me writing! So...*awkward* thanks...*awkwardness over***

**So, onto chapter 11 of Circus de Fairy Tail and part three of Mission.**

**OoOoOoO**

No...how...how?! _How does he heal?! What the Hell is he?! _Lucy thought as she watched the _Shitai chōtatsu-sha_, corpse raiser, land on the ground again, the bright light gone. The wicked man who used to be so sweet and nice smiles a horribly kind smile at them, especially at the blonde Celestial mage. His dark brown eyes are filled with humorous mischief. He was so arrogant...he was so confident that he won. A gnarled ball of barbed hate settles in Lucy's stomach, and she is about to step forward to strike him again when Natsu threw his arm out in front of her, stopping her right in her tracks. She looks at him, confusion on her face.

Natsu smiles a gorgeous fanged smile at her, effectively taking her breath away, "You said- no you _promised_- that I could fight him, and I am. You just watch Lucy, I'll make you proud!" He winks at her, and Lucy finds herself obeying his command. She backs up and stands off to the side, refusing to meet Cj's eyes, who was watching her intensely. She stares at the two men with wide eyes, knowing that an epic fight was about to break out. Happy joins her, resting on her shoulder and hiding in her messy golden hair.

Natsu smiles again at Lucy through the blood that dirtied his face, "Thanks, Luce." He turns back to Cj, and his onyx eyes narrow dangerously, his smile replaced with a serious frown. It looked so odd on Natsu, but at the same time, Lucy found herself thinking dirty thoughts about him wearing such a serious look_... Stop it_! She snaps in her head.

Cj stares right back at Natsu, a lazy smile on his face, "Do we have to fight, boy? Why don't you just give up pretty Lucy over there and leave? If you left her, I would let you leave. With your little cat too! That's a pretty good deal."

Natsu stares at him for a moment, as if he were considering it.

_Is he seriously considering leaving me behind?! That jerk!_

Lucy was about to open her mouth to yell at the DragonSlayer, but is cut off by his laughter. Cj, Lucy and Happy all look at him weirdly, confused.

Natsu laughs again and says, "Pfft, if I left Lucy behind and let you live, you would just keep terrorizing Moonlit Taverns Town and you would have a smoking hot wife. No way in Hell am I so cowardly I would put my life above both innocent civilians and my partner. No, we fight. To the death." He lights up his fist for good measure, a dark look on his face.

But Lucy hadn't noticed any of that. She was still strung up on '_smoking hot wife_'.

_H-he thinks I'm good-looking? _Even in her thoughts, she stuttered. She found herself blushing heavily and she shakes her head, trying to clear her thoughts of him. She focuses back on the banter the two men were having, noticing that Cj was now talking.

"Foolish boy. You will live and die with that regret." Cj muttered, before the fight resumed.

Cj launched himself with surprising speed at the fiery DragonSlayer. It surprised Natsu too, because his eyes went wide as the fist nailed into his already bruised and bloody face. Natsu shoots back, hitting a wall with tremendous force, looking as if he were stuck in the Natsu-sized hole. He gives a tug and suddenly falls from the wall, landing on his head, "Ow...!"

Lucy groans as if she were in pain too, and face palms. _I'm so screwed._

Natsu heaves himself off the ground, just in time too, because Cj was aiming a kick to his head. Natsu catches his leg and twists it, causing Cj to fall onto his stomach. The air leaves the corpse raiser's body with a _oof!_ and he tries to suck in air again. Seeing this golden opportunity, Natsu jumps on him, almost crushing Cj's chest, and he started to punch his over and over again with flaming fists. When Cj's eyes had gone blank, Natsu stopped, having the feeling he caused the man great head trauma. Lucy rushes over to him, a relieved smile on her face,

"Wow, ultra-cool, Natsu!~" She says avidly, punching his shoulder in a friendly way. Natsu smiles at her through the grime on his face and lets her help him up. She puts his arm around her shoulders and weaves her own right arm around his waist, "Come on, Natsu, let's get home."

And Happy, Natsu, and Lucy go home to live happily.

Yeah, _right_. That's what _would_ have happened, had Cj not have gotten right back up and chopped Natsu in the back of the neck, effectively knocking him out. Natsu drops like a rock, onyx eyes falling shut. Lucy could not hold Natsu's weight and she fell too, landing next to Natsu on the cold rocky floor. Cj approaches them slowly, as if afraid Natsu would suddenly shoot back up and hit him again. Lucy throws herself protectively over Natsu as Happy tries to wake him up. There is an almost feral snarl on her face, "Touch him, corpse raiser, and you die." Her voice is low and dark, her eyes promised death. This would have scared even Erza shitless but Cj seemed unfazed.

"Ah, my beautiful Lucy. Just you and me now, my darling." He says, deep and smooth voice hinting sexual tendencies. Lucy practically growls and her eyes widen in fury and hatred.

"Come any closer and I'll kill you. Back up. _Back up_!" She screeches, clutching onto the back of Natsu's vest. Cj smirks kindly at her and proceeds to approach her, testing weather or not her threats would take effect if he actually touched her. Lucy grabs her keys, a move that causes great pain in her lower abdomen where she had been stabbed by a corpse. She didn't know where her whip was, and couldn't afford looking. He was getting closer, and she would not- _could not_- let Cj hurt Natsu anymore. Natsu was down for the count, and Lucy felt dread pile in her stomach. She could feel her dwindling amount of magic and she gulps silently, thinking on wether or not she should just bluff.

"Stay back! I'll call out all my spirits, you cannot fight them all then!"

Cj stops to consider this, but just moves forward again, "You are bluffing. You kept out that orange-haired one too long. You don't have any magic left. Just give up, sweetheart. An eternity with me isn't so bad."

"_It is a horrible fate no woman should ever have to endure! I could think of a million and one people I rather be stuck an eternity with than you! Do not come any closer!_" She screamed, standing up. She had a foot on either side of Natsu so she was standing over him protectively.

Cj stops and stares at her for minuet before he whispers, "Then, if I can't have you, no one can."

The color leaves Lucy's face, and she feels cold. _He's going to kill me..! No he's not, get it together, woman! Fight back! At least take him down with you! _She thought as she gets in a defensive stance. _He beat Natsu so easily...what chance do I have?! _A voice snaps in her head. She chose to ignore it. "You're insane."

Cj smirked dangerously at her and chuckled maniacally at her, "Come here, little girly~" He says in sing-song voice.

In a split second, he is in front of her, grabbing her wrist forcefully and twisting it behind her back, making her lurch forward to escape having her arm broken. He twists her wrist and arm more, making tears pop into her eyes. She glances around, searching for something- _anything_ that could help her. She spots that her foot was so close to his and she brought it up, then crashed it down on the body part. Bones crunch in her ears and Cj howls in pain before letting her go to cradle his foot. Lucy bolts away, only slightly aware that Happy was still next to the unconscious Natsu. She jumps to the left as an enraged Cj crashes down just where she was standing a second ago. His dark eyes snap to her doe ones and Lucy snarls out a warning. The corpse raiser simply smiles at her and makes a grab for her wrist, succeeding. Lucy screeches in pain as he twists the appendage, causing immediate swelling. She locks her furious gaze on him, and tries to pry her wrist out of his grip.

_Damn Shitai chōtatsu-sha...he keeps smiling that damned smile... _She thought, glaring at his bloody face. "Let...me...go...you asshole!" She screeches at him. He smiles at her, before he back hands her across her petite face. Her head snaps to the side and her body stumbles back from the force of the blow. White-hot pain rushed through her cheek, setting every nerve on fire. She stifles a groan of pain and looks at him again, refusing to back down.

_I refuse to cower...I refuse to run...It's time to face him, it's time to face my fears. He is mortal. I can beat him. He isn't as invincible as he claims to be. You can beat him, Lucy. You can. You have too much to lose. He needs you. Natsu, and Happy too. Because if you die, they do. Get your head in the game girl. I refuse to lose...I simply refuse. I cannot afford it. Time is up, Lucy, and you need to face it. No more running away. You can't. You simply...can't._

He hits her again. And again. A third time. A fourth time. Always across the face, bruising her mercilessly. Her face had already gone numb and long ago she had coughed up blood and even a tooth. Her left eye, which was black and swollen, pulsed painfully to the rhythm of her speeding heart. Her unharmed eye locks on the incoming fist, and she braces herself for another blow to her face.

Except it doesn't go to her face. It goes to her chest. Instantly, the air leaves her with a _woosh_ and she is ripped from Cj's grasp by the sheer force of his hit. She flies back, landing in a bloody heap next to Natsu and Happy. She faintly hears the blue Exceed call her name, and she feels anger rush through her again. "H-Happy...r-run...ple-ease..." She wheezes, still recovering from the most recent hit.

"No, Lucy, I'm gonna stay with you!" Happy says, touching Lucy's bruised and swollen face tenderly. The blonde mage is touched by her friend's words, and she raises a weak arm to pat Happy's soft head.

The foot comes out of nowhere, connecting with Happy's furry white stomach. Happy squeals as he is sent flying into a stone wall. He hits and falls to the ground, out cold.

Lucy stares after her blue friend, and she feels a intense fury seep into her mind. How dare he?! How dare he hurt both of her best friends?! How dare he stand there laughing at their failure?!

"_You're going to die_."

OoOoOoO

Natsu groans, only aware to the pain his body was in. _God, this hurts. What the Hell did he do to my neck?!_ He thought to himself, and he slowly opened his dark onyx eyes, only to shut them quickly again when red-hot pain pulsed behind his corneas. He grits his teeth and tires a second time, pushing through the pain that greeted him.

Only when his eyes were fully open, and he had a clear visual on the area around him, did he dare try to move his head. The pain was enormous, but at the sound of a feminine screech of anger, he snaps his head up, automatically looking for his partner. "L-Lucy..." He managed to get out.

"_You're going to die_." The sentence makes his blood run cold. It wasn't Cj who whispered that line in such a calm and collected voice. It certainly wasn't Happy, and Natsu knew for sure it wasn't himself.

It was Lucy. And she sounded _pissed_.

Cj was beyond redemption now, beyond forgiveness. Cj was totally and utterly _screwed_.

OoOoOoO

Cj looks curiously at Lucy, feeling a sudden chill go up and down his spine. There was no way this was the girl he had been beating mercilessly earlier. No, no...this was a completely different _creature_, one that was as cold, cruel and merciless as he was, maybe even more. That voice...

It was the one of a born killer. This wasn't Lucy. This thing couldn't even possible be human.

No...no thing can be that fast! In the place the blonde nuisance was standing moments ago was nothing but settling dust. Cj glances around cautiously, arms raised to protect himself if needed.

"Where are you?!" Cj roars, turning completely around. There! In a spot to his left dust on the stone was littered with two simple footprints of a young woman. "Where are you?! Show yourself!" He roars again, fallowing the sound of light footsteps, so quick it would take a seriously focused person to make them out.

"_Right here, baby._" A dark voice whispers in his ear. Cj whips around, just in time to see the blonde Celestial mage's-who had seemed so weak and slow earlier- fist slam into his chin, sending him straight up. He groans, unable to stop himself.

What happened next was surprising to both the corpse raiser and the now conscious Natsu -who was still staring from the ground. Lucy crouched on the ground, before breaking into a fast run in the direction of Cj . She suddenly leaped into the air, going in an arc directly in front of Cj . She reaches out and her hands close around the amulets that Cj had stolen from her earlier. The sound of snapping chains filled his ears, eyes widening as he took in Lucy's face. She was smirking as if she just won a prize, her eyes covered by blonde bangs. Blood still dripped from her mouth, making her look even more terrifying, more errie . She lands perfectly on her own two bare feet, the smirk replaced by a emotionless stony mask, beside Natsu, who looks up at her, still in pain from the fight earlier.

Cj stares as he lands in a heap on the ground, the air leaving him painfully. Still trying to make sense of what happened seconds ago, he coughs and wheezes.

_Who is this girl?!_

OoOoOoO

Natsu looks up at Lucy, who had landed next to him. In her petite and pale hands were her amulets, which were glowing almost chaotically.

"_I'm sorry..._" He hears her whisper. Who was she whispering to? And why was her voice so dark? Natsu did not understand anything at the moment except for the fact that Lucy was acting weird and Happy was nowhere to be found. He glances around, "H-Happy?! Where are you?!" He yells, and Lucy finally looks at him. Because of the bangs, Natsu could not see her eyes, and her mouth was a thin expressionless line. "Lucy, where is Happy?"

Lucy looks at him for a moment from underneath her bangs, before she says in a monotonous voice, "_The cat is currently unconscious. The corpse raiser kicked him." _She points to the left. Natsu looks where she pointed to see Happy in a heap on the stone floor. Natsu felt anger boil in him and he began to heave himself up.

Lucy looked back at Cj, who was beginning to get up. Natsu looks up when her outstretched hand comes into view, "Huh?"

"_DragonSlayer, take my hand._" Lucy says, still staring at Cj underneath her bangs. Natsu looks at her hand, then at the Celestial mage. He searches her face, trying to find some emotion, but his attempt was futile. Her face was like a mask. _What is up with Luce? _He thought before slowly putting his hand in her's. Lucy automatically drags him up with surprising strength, bringing him up to a standing up position. Natsu bites back a hiss of pain and looks curiously at her.

"_Fallow my command, DragonSlayer__. Repeat after me, and call out your magic." _Lucy orders, gabbing his other hand and pushing their backs together. She laces her fingers into his, and he fallows suit, as she commanded. What ever mood Lucy was in, he definitely did not want to mess with her while she was in it. She was even more terrifying than Erza, but that's mainly because Erza get a fiery angry while Lucy...she was calm, cool, collected. The calm before a horrible storm. Natsu was about to say that if he did call out his magic, he would burn her, but she cut him off.

"_You will not burn me, DragonSlayer__. I have the Fire Amulet, and if I use it I am protected from fire. I am using it now. Now, call out your magic._" She snaps, getting impatient.

Natsu nods, "A-aye!" And he breaths in, before fire erupted around him. He winced, half expecting Lucy to scream out in pain, but it did not come. Instead, a bright light came from behind. He turns his head to see a gorgeous ruby glowing in her mouth, between her pearly white teeth. He looks back, calling to more of his magic, and the flames that surrounded the two reached the roof of the small cavern they were in.

"_Repeat after me, DragonSlayer__, like I told you,_" She cuts off to call her own magic, breathing in deeply.

Something strange happens to the air. Natsu takes a sniff, smelling the sweet scent of vanilla and cherry blossoms. He almost sighs in pleasure at the scent, but instead focuses on Lucy, who was still calling her power. She begins to glow a bright white, and the air sparkles around her.

"_I am Spirit, you are Fire. Switch it around, DragonSlayer__._" Lucy says, as the fire and the bright white light began to mold together.

"_I am Fire, you are Spirit._" Natsu says.

"_We are here to banish evil._"

"_We are here to banish evil._" Natsu repeats.

"_As I heal, you destroy__._"

"_As I destroy, you heal._"

"_Together, we are-_" Lucy cuts off so they can both say it together. Natsu

nods, already knowing exactly what to say. Their magic mingled and twisted together, blazing red and soothing white.

Lucy and Natsu both open their eyes simultaneously, and they say in unison, "_Hi to seirei __no yūgō!*_"

Cj stares in awe as the combination of fire and celestial magic build and build, into a large dome-like magic attack. For a second, everything is quiet...

The explosions blow Cj to the hard rocky ground, and the dome of magic energy explodes into a beautiful fiery white inferno, shooting straight at the corpse raiser. "No...No! _No_!" He yells as the white hot fury of the DragonSlayer and the Celestial mage barrel into him, eating at him. "_No_!" The pain grows more and more intense and the corpse raiser screams in pain.

"_No_!"

OoOoOoO

Footsteps. Hurried footsteps. Pacing. That's all the guild heard or saw as they all sat at attention in front of the giant stage of the guild. Erza

was on top of the stage, pacing angrily, muttering to herself. "Where could those three possibly be?!" Erza snaps, causing the entire guild to step back about a foot. "We checked everywhere! No space was left not searched! We must check again!"

"U-uh...Erza-san!" A voice piped. Erza snaps her head in the direction of the voice to see Wendy, the air DragonSlayer. "E-ever think they might be on a mission."

At Erza's frozen face, the entire guild sweatdropped. Wendy poked her index fingers together nervously and refuses to look at the mighty Titania. Erza coughs, regaining the entire guild's attention. She takes a deep breath and says, "I can not say I thought of this. Mirajane!" At the mention of her name, Mirajane looks up from the glass mug she was cleaning and cocks her head. "Has Natsu, Happy or Lucy told you about going on a mission?" Mirajane shakes her head no, "Nope! None of them came up to me or even discussed a mission with me...even though Natsu was begging Lucy to go on a mission with him and Happy...then after Lucy agreed Natsu ran off to get a mission, I think. I wasn't really paying attention to them after that."

"Ever think it strange that Natsu and Lucy said they were going on a mission but never came up to you to get it officiated!" Erza demanded.

"No, I was too busy making the cake you requested." Mirajane deadpanned, narrowing her eyes. The guild sweat drops, and Erza was once again turned into a statue. Gray comes up and says, "So, if Natsu, Lucy and Happy said they were going on a mission but they didn't stop by Mirajane, then that means what?"

The guild all look at the ground or ceiling as the think of this. Soon, a gruff voice speaks up, "Isn't it obvious? The idiots went on a forbidden mission, I bet. An S-class quest. I did notice one was missing."

All eyes turn to a large, muscular young man with short blonde hair wearing headphones with spikes out the side. Mirajane speaks up next, "You wouldn't think they would be so stupid to do that, do you Laxus-san?"

Laxus smirks, "Natsu and his cat certainly are, but I'm not so sure about that new chick. Obviously she either went because of the pay and rewards or Natsu threatened her with something."

Erza narrows her beautiful brown eyes at Laxus, "Laxus-san! Natsu would never threaten Lucy!"

Laxus shrugged, "Natsu is full of surprises. And instincts tell me the new girl is too." He smirks darkly at Erza, who in turn clenched her armor-clad fists. The guild members mumbled to themselves, trying to figure out what Laxus meant.

Laxus finally breaks eye contact with Erza to instead close them and say, "I bet they'll be here soon. Not without injuries though, so don't go too hard on them, Erza."

Erza narrows her eyes at the lightning DragonSlayer, and grinds out in that dominating voice of her's, "I'll keep that in mind, Laxus-san."

Laxus smirks at her, before turning and walking away, leaving the rest of the guild to discuss. Erza growls and kicks some poor table, needing an outlet for her seething anger. Gray backs up, fearing for his life.

Smart boy.

"When those three get back I'll put them through such horrible punishment their grandchildren will have bruises!" Erza screeches, before kicking another piece of unfortunate furniture that had been in the mighty Titania's way.

"No, Erza...I'll deal with them. They'll get _the punishment_." Master Marcov's voice rings out through the guild. Said group of mages cower in fear, some crying out.

Even Erza's face goes pale and clammy and she says, "I-isn't that a little too extreme, Master?"

Master Marcov narrows his eyes and says, "They will pay for breaking the rules. After they heal from whatever bruises they might have. They might need help. Gray, Erza!"

Gray perks at his name, coming up to stand next to Erza. "Yes'um?"

Master Marcov looks down at the two, "You two, go and fetch them. Make sure none of them die."

Gray and Erza nod and turn to leave. The guild separates to let the two through. Erza reaches out when they reach the door to open it...

And it bursts open itself. The guild gasps in surprise and instantly get into defensive positions, years from experience in effect. But, instead of some enemy guild or threat, standing at the door, is a broken, bruised and bloody Lucy holding up a barely awake Natsu, who was in a better condition but not by much. Happy was asleep and hidden in Natsu's scarf, everyone could tell because his cute white and blue tail was hanging limply out of the dragon-scaled scarf. Lucy had one eye open, and the other was swollen shut, dried blood stuck to her face. She is sweating profusely and bleeding heavily from a wound in her stomach, the red liquid staining the beautiful and torn white wedding dress. She pants and smiles softly, "H-hey..." She whispers, before both she and Natsu fall to the ground, unconscious.

**OoOoOoO**

**Well, there ya have it! Hope you enjoyed it!**

**_*Hi to seirei _****_no yūgō _****means 'Fusion of Fire and Spirit!'**

**See ya all next time!**

**PARADISE.x**


	12. Bunny

**Hey everyone! Sorry for the wait! And guess what! I FINALLY GOT MY LAPTOP! Hehehehehehe I'm so excited *does the happy dance*! I just got it today and I decided to celebrate with a chapter of Circus de Fairy Tail! Okay, so last time, Lucy, Natsu and Happy finally get back from their mission, and they're pretty torn up! Let's see what's happening!**

**Who else loves the song Titanium by David Guetta Feat. Sia? Usually I hate pop. I'm more of a classic rock, alternative, and heavy metal type of chick but I really love this song, surprisingly. It grew on me, no I can't stop listening to it XD check it out!**

**Hope you enjoy it!**

**OoOoOoO**

The blissful darkness felt nice. This is what Lucy had concluded. The darkness that swept her from all the pain she felt just moments ago- _was it moments? Or hours?_- was gentle and sweet. She just wanted to disappear into it forever. And what was stopping her? She should just leap now into that beautiful oblivion and be happy for eternity! She deserved it...didn't she? Sure, she was a thief, a liar, and a cheat. Not to mention a murderer. But Lucy felt horrible and stomach-churning guilty of what she did, what she _had_ to do. It was either him or her. That dark man with such dark powers...he deserved it, right? He was a murderer before she was! He killed far more than she ever could, so that made her a better person for taking him from this world, right?

Right?!

Lucy almost sighs in her sleep, and stares straight into the gaping hole that was death. _Should I do it? Should I leap? What is stopping me?_ She pondered, noticing that she couldn't speak at all. Her neck felt numb, and so did her face, and why did she feel pressure in her lower stomach? What was this? Why did she feel this way? Wasn't she pretty much dead?

_I don't understand..._

"...been in a coma...week..." A voice reaches her ears and a single beam of light cuts through the darkness, a sound almost like breaking glass echoing through the nothingness. Lucy winces at the brightness but moves towards it almost eagerly.

_What? Is that...Erza? _

"WHEN IS...SHE...UP?!" The yell strikes her, causing her physical pain. Once again, there is the sound of breaking glass, and a bigger beam of light appears, now shining on Lucy. The Celestial mage falls to her naked and bruised knees, still floating in nothingness.

_N-Natsu...shut up...! _

"Not...DragonSlayer...shut up...!"

_Thank you, Grey!_

The glass...it breaks again and more light pours into the darkness, banishing it away from the blonde. There are no more voices. Thank God above. Lucy looks at oblivion again, and whimpers, _What do I do? It's so nice...it's been so long since I've felt this peaceful...this small pain is fine, nice actually...what's tying me down? Why can't I leap? Why does God hate me? Why won't he just let me die? I know if I go back, I will feel the pain again...I don't want to feel the pain anymore...I'm scared...Do you hear me, Shitai chōtatsu-sha?! I'm fucking scared of th pain!_

"It's okay, Luce! You don't have to be scared! Me, Happy, and Fairy Tail too...we're all here for you!" A voice says, clear as day, from all around her.

Breaking glass.

Lucy's head snaps up and she glances around,

_Natsu? Natsu, is that you? Natsu...where are you?_

"It's okay, Luce! You don't have to be scared! Me, Happy, and Fairy Tail too...we're all here for you!" Natsu repeats, confusing her.

_Natsu, you idiot, you already said that!_

"It's okay, Luce! You don't have to be scared! Me, Happy, and Fairy Tail too...we're all here for you!" He repeats again, now irritating her.

_Natsu, you are starting to annoy me..._

He repeats it again, this time in a more urgent voice, as if she we're on the breakthrough of something.

_Natsu...Natsu, shut up, I heard you the first time! Natsu! NATSU!_

"NATSU!" She screams into the oblivion, and just like that, it shatters as if it were fragile glass. Lucy looks around as the light gathers around her, and she squeals as she begins to fall, "Natsu! Help me!"

_Wait...did I just speak? Was this all...an illusion? Why, oh why, God?! Why do you hate me? I was about to leap! No...no I wasn't...I was never going to...because...Natsu...he needs me...he needs me to defeat that damn corpse raiser..._

"I'm coming, Natsu!" She screams as she falls into warm brightness. Suddenly, her head connects with something hard, and she feels the darkness come to claim her again. "N-no..." But it was too late.

She was already asleep.

OoOoOoO

She whimpers his name in her sleep and nuzzles her head into the pillow underneath her, as if seeking warmth that wasn't there. Natsu stares down at the girl and smiles softly into his hands, which were folded and placed in front of his mouth.

After his screaming match with Erza, Grey, and even Wendy(who had started crying, which resulted in Natsu getting slapped across the face by Erza) about when Lucy was going to wake up, he had resided to Lucy's bed side, tapping his foot on the ground worriedly. It was all his fault that she got hurt. If only he had paid more attention! If only he had noticed that he wasn't done in. If only he had blocked his knock-out blow. He could of prevented this. If only, if only...

He smirks a humorless smile into his clenched hands and close his deep onyx eyes. He breaths out through his nose. _How could you let this happen?! You're pathetic, letting your own nakama get hurt when you were there to protect them! _He verbally abuses himself in his mind, clenching his teeth. He opens his eyes again and looks back down at Lucy, who had wiggled a little in her slumber.

"Lucy...you can wake up now! Come on, wake up!" Natsu says, voice muffled because of his fists. His eyes narrow, and he removes his hands from his face, "Come, on Luce! Stop playing! You're making Happy cry. He's worried about you. Everyone is, even me. And if you die, I swear I will drag back from Hell and destroy you. Now _wake up_." He says demandingly. There is no response, not even a moan of discomfort. Nothing came from her small body and it angered him.

"GOD DAMN IT LUCE! WAKE THE FUCK UP!" He bellows, suddenly standing to his full height from the wooden and slightly broken stool he was sitting at.

Finally, he gets a response. Lucy moans and lets out a tiny, "Shut...up...Natsu..."

Said fie DragonSlayer stares at her for a moment, before smiling. Then grinning. Then chuckling. Then just full out laughter. He laughed so hard it hurt his sides, and made it hard to breath. He falls to ground and rolls on it avidly, still laughing his head off.

Moments later, he calms down and picks up the stool he had been sitting at earlier- which had fallen over when Natsu was rolling on the ground- and sat on it, running a hand through his messy salmon-colored locks. "That's what I wanted to hear..."

And he went back to watching her like a hawk.

OoOoOoO

_Damn you, Natsu...ruining a perfectly good dream with your yelling. _Lucy thought as she lay awake, with her brown eyes shut, and her breathing steady as if she was sleeping. Natsu was still next to her bed, still waiting for her to wake up, and even though she was touched by his actions, it kind of creeped her out. As he watched, she debated if she should let her awareness be known by him, and decided against it.

_Ugh, I just want to sleep. When I wake up, I'll have to deal with Erza...God, no... _She thought to herself, almost sighing in fearsome sadness. She definitely did _not _want to face the wrath of Erza Scarlet, the great Titania of Fairy Tail who defeated a hundered monsters without any medical attention during it. Erza Scarlet, the woman who could rip her limb from limb if it got down to it.

_Not _looking forward to it.

"Lucy...I know you're awake, I can smell your fear." Natsu's blunt statement reaches her ears, and she sighs. She knew still acting as if she was sleeping would only result in him trying to force her from the bed or something. Slowly, Lucy turns to face him, and she smiles innocently.

"What are you talking about, Natsu? I just woke up. You must be se-no smelling things." She says.

Natsu raises a pink eyebrow-_So his hair color _is _real?_- at her and says with a gentle smirk, "Yeah, yeah, sure. Wendy told me to tell you when you wake up 'how are you feeling'...so...how are you feeling?" He cocks his head to the side.

Lucy's smile broadens, "Oh, well, you know, there is this giant, massive pain in my neck and he is sitting right next to me."

At Natsu's confused look, Lucy sweatdrops, sighing almost in pain. "Ah, Natsu...as dense as always."

Natsu frowns and barks out a, "Hey! Like you're any better, going all psycho like that...it was creepy." He shudders as he thinks of 'creepy Lucy'.

Now Lucy is confused, "Uh? What do you mean, Natsu?"

"You mean you don't remember?"

"Remember _what_?!"

Natsu cocks his head and says, "Well, I was unconscious for most of the time, but when I came to, you were all...creepy. You're voice was low and dark, and I could never see your eyes, as if you were purposely hiding them from me. Then that smile...God, you were creepy."

Lucy growls, "Don't call me creepy! And...what do you mean by this?"

Natsu shrugged and looked at the ceiling, "I'm not sure. You were like-"

"A whole different person." A dominating yet feminine voice was heard from the doorway of-_ Where am I?_- the room they were in. Natsu freezes, and by the look of pure terror on his face, she knew who it was.

Erza strides into the room and stands at the foor of the bed Lucy was laying in, "By Natsu's description, you were a whole different person. He made you sound agile and fast, and even though we've never seen you in real battle, with your body you aren't going to be that agile." Erza gestures to Lucy's busty chest with hips to match. Lucy pouts and was about to retort, but was cut off by Natsu's warning look which purely said '_Do you want to die_?!'.

"So, Lucy..." Erza leaned over a bit to be closer to Lucy's face- but not by that much. "What are you, exactly? Natsu told us you were a Celestial mage, and I can see that by your-"

Suddenly, Lucy shoots straight up from where she was laying, "Keys! Where are they?! Where have you put them?!" She frantically screeches and she looks around. "My Amulets too! Where are those?!" A sudden pain rocks her gut and she groans pitifully. Natsu forces her back down onto the bed.

"Lucy! You can't just move quickly like that! You had an almost fatal wound in your stomach, and how you were still moving during the battle, I will never know..." Natsu says.

Erza raises a hand and says, "Lucy, your keys and amulets are in your room, on your dresser. For some reason the Air Amulet you have messed with Wendy's healing power."

Lucy nodded, "T-they'll do that. If you are wearing an Amulet of your base power- like fire or air- it either enhances or hinders it, depending on what your mood is."

"So if you were angry..."

"It would be enhanced."

"If you were sad?"

"Hindered. The only negative feeling you can have while using the Amulets is rage." Lucy informs. Erza nods her head,

"I see...back to the subject at hand."

Lucy glances down at her stomach(which was nearly impossible because of her rather _large_...assets.) and lifted the cloth of the baggy night shirt she was wearing- "Natsu, who changed me?" "Erza!" "Good."- to reveal beige colored bandages wrapped tightly around her flat stomach. "I'm surprised it didn't open back up by my movement..."

Erza chose to answer this, "Wendy did a fantastic job on you."

Lucy stares down at her bandages from a while longer, before she smiles brightly up at Erza and says cheerfully, "Well, I guess I have to go thank her then!"

Erza can't help but smile back down at her, "That will have to wait. Right now, you have some explaining to do."

Lucy nods and sighs, "Go for it."

"What did you do? Some form of magic to make you fast?"

Lucy sighs again and says, "I can't remember anything Erza, I swear. All I can remember is being hit around a lot that corpse raiser- wait. Natsu," At his name, said fire DragonSlayer perked up, "we did defeat him, right?!"

Natsu nods, "We wouldn't be here if we didn't. Stupid Lucy."

Lucy growls, "What did you just say, dunce?!"

Erza rubs her temple, "Quiet!" She growls out slowly, and instantly both Nats and Lucy effectively shut up. "Go on, Lucy."

"Oh, well, uh, I was hit around a lot, and I remember just feeling so angry and helpless...then he hit me so hard I flew back and landed next to Natsu. Happy came over to me to see if I was alright, and I told him to run but the stupid cat wouldn't and...the corpse raiser kicked him really hard...and after that...I don't remember anything."

"Natsu, when did Lucy turn into this...'creepy Lucy'?"

Natsu scratches his head, "I don't know. She was like that when I woke up. And she kept calling me 'DragonSlayer' as if I didn't have a name. She called Happy 'the cat', too...I already told you all of this, Erza."

Erza nods, "I know. I wanted Lucy to hear it, since she can't remember." Was it just Lucy, or did Erza sound doubtful?

"Erza." Lucy says firmly. Erza looks at her in surprise.

"Yes, Lucy?"

"I know you don't believe me, but I swear I don't remember. I try and I try but I just can't remember!"

"Lucy, I-"

"So, I'm sorry if my forgetfulness annoys you, but you should know I would tell you everything if I just knew what happened to me! I don't remember anything and if you don't like that, I'm sorry." Lucy says, narrowing her eyes. Erza stares at her almost angrily, but Lucy refused to cower. For a long moment, Erza stared at Lucy like a hawk, as if searching for some deception. She found none.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Erza nods and says apologetically, "Very well. I am sorry for not believing you. Please, Lucy! Hit me!" She walks over to Lucy's side and bows her head, as if waiting for the Celestial mage to bash her head. Lucy sweatdrops.

"E-Erza, I'm not going to hit you."

OoOoOoO

Three days pass before Lucy was allowed to leave the infirmary- she had figured out that she was there a little later- and actually move around. The first she went to was her room to retrieve her keys and Amulets. She attaches the keys to her belt loop, and throws the Amulets over her head, and they rest on her neck. Yawning, Lucy opens her top drawer, reaching in to get clothing. She had been in the same outfit for days and even though it disgusted her, she had refused when Natsu offered to change her. Erza had luckily been there and screamed '_pervert_' at the top of her lungs and hit him across his salmon-hair clad head, effectively knocking him out cold. Era had smiled at her and said, "_He won't be bothering you anymore, Lucy! Rest well!_"

Lucy smirked at the flashback, before stripping and throwing her dirty clothes into a hamper next to her dresser. She practically shoves on her new clothing before skipping to the door of her bright room. "I should paint this room..." She whispers, before she catches herself. She growls and snaps, voice low so no one could overhear her, "You aren't staying here for long, stupid! Stop thinking like you are actually apart of this damned guild." She sighs and stares at her hand, which was positioned on the doorknob to open the door. She sighs again and slowly opens the door, and steps into the surreal hallway. She carefully steps around a door-that was in the _floor_- that was opened and continued along, yawning a bit as she went.

When she reached the main room of the Fairy Tail guild, she sighed again, feeling depressed for some reason. She glanced around and fiddled with her fingers, ignoring stares. No one had seen hind nor tail of her since she stumbled in through the guild doors with Natsu and Happy.

_Oh, that reminds me...I never asked Natsu or Happy if they were okay...I'm a horrible person. _She thought, and automatically searches for her onyx-eyes partner and his flying cat. _Wait...partner? No, Lucy, he is just a pawn. A pawn that helped you infiltrate the guild and get people to trust you. He isn't your partner, not even an ally. He is a pawn to be used then disposed of. We have gone through this. _A voice snaps in her head, and she stops looking for them. "You're right..." She mutters under her breath, sighing again.

"What was that, Lucy-san?" A feminine voice piped up. Lucy looks down to be facing Levy McGarden, a cute bookworm with wild blue hair.

Lucy smiles sweetly, "Oh, nothing, Levy-san!"

Levy giggles, "Just Levy-chan! That's what everyone calls me!"

Lucy smiles, "Okay, Levy-chan!"

"How are you, Lu-chan? You got pretty wounded on that S-class mission..." Levy inquires, raising a thin eyebrow and smirking softly.

_Lu-chan? _Lucy already loved Levy, the way she giggled and smiled so sweetly even at a girl she barely knew, "Yeah, I'm better. What book are you reading?" She gestures to the large beat up novel Levy was holding.

Levy smiles and says, "_Marionette_, a book about a girl who pretends to be something she is not and is beheaded by the King of Fiore."

_Wow, story of my life. _She thought to herself, "I've never read that one! Is it good?"

Levy nods avidly, "Very good! I can lend it to you when I'm done!"

Lucy grins brightly, "Really? Thank you so much! It sounds very good! So...is there any romance in it?"

Levy giggles and says, "Yeah. A man the main character deceived and tricked. The girl eventually fell in love with him and they both were going to run away but the King figured out who she really was, so it was too late. The man was put in jail for treason and the girl beheaded."

**(A/N: Only time I'm going to do this, but: Foreshadowing, much? Haha, bak to the story XD)**

Lucy nods, "Wow, it sounds so good! I can't wait to read it!"

Levy was about to answer but was cut off by a gruff voice, "Shrimp, come on, time for a mission." Both Lucy and Levy look up to see Gajeel Redfox, the iron DragonSlayer. His dark crimson eyes land on her and she nods to him, "You Lucy right?"

Lucy nodded, refusing to back down from his almost-glare, "Yeah, what's it to you?"

Gajeel stared at her for a moment longer, before scoffing, "I would be careful around that flame-head, if I were you. He does stupid things and tends to drag people with him. Like that S-class mission you went on with him."

Lucy stares at him, before coolly saying, "I'll keep that in mind, Gajeel-san."

Gajeel smirks, "Nice attitude, _bunny-girl_, but I wouldn't go around bad-mouthing people unless you have the power to back it up."

"B-bunny girl?! How do I remind you of a bunny?!" But he was already gone, dragging a giggling Levy behind him.

"Bye, Lu-chan! I'll see you later!"

Lucy stares at them for a moment, before giggling, "Love birds..." She whispers.

"I heard that, bunny girl!" Gajeel yells back, and Lucy whistles like she didn't know anything. Giggling again, she walks over to the bar to go speak with Mirajane. One her way there, a voice boomed from somewhere in Fairy Tail,

"_Lucy and Natsu! Get your asses in my office!_"

Master Marcov.

It was punishment time.

**OoOoOoO**

**There you have it! Is it short? I can't tell...oh well. Hope you enjoyed Levy and Gajeel being fully introduced! **

**Parrie's Playlist (Continued):**

**Titanium-David Guetta Feat. Sia**

**Unwell-Matchbox 20**

**Don't Trust Me-3Oh!3**

**Pretty Fly- The Offspring**

**Honky Tonk Women- The Rolling Stones**

**Head Like A Hole-Nine Inch Nails**

**Animal(?)-Nine Inch Nails**

**Hey Man Nice Shot-Filter**

**Possum Kingdom-The Toadies**

**Check them out! R&R!**

**-PARADISE.x**


	13. Punishment

**Hey everyone, and welcome to the newest chapter of Circus de Fairy Tail! Or, as I affectionately call it, CDFT! I know the last chapter was short, and I am now working on that. I will try to make this one longer.**

**I recently made a new story and one-shot. The story is going to me multi-chaptered (no dip :P) and NaLu. It is called 'The Devil's Associate', and in it, Lucy's the daughter of the Devil! Harhar! I just love making Lucy from the Projects…ha-ha. A little bit of LoLu is in it, but that is mostly in chapter three. Aries and Loke are together in that series.**

**The one-shot is very short and NaLu, even though it isn't romantic…well kind of, depends on the way you look at it. It is called 'Compared to Them', in which Lucy feels weak but quickly gets over that :) Check them out! Reviews, favorites, and follows are always appreciated! **

**Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**OoOoOoO**

Lucy was shaking in her boots, figuratively speaking. She was actually wearing these super cute white ballet flats that- off topic. _Get your head out of the gutter!_ Lucy thought to herself as she silently follows the salmon-haired and forever dense Natsu. Turning down a hallway, Natsu stops, causing Lucy to run straight into his back. Said Celestial mage grunts and furiously says, "What the Hell, Natsu? Why'd you stop?!"

Natsu stares straight ahead, before saying, "Think if we made a run for it, would we make it?"

Lucy looks at him in surprise, and sees the look of pure terror on his face. It was kind of comical; considering his skin was clammy and he was visually shaking. Was this punishment so bad that it frightened the great Salamander of Fairy Tail? Surely not. But Lucy finds herself feeling more and more terrified, _If it's so bad as to scare him…what will happen to me?!_ "W-we can try…My wound is still healing a bit, though."

Natsu nods, and stares at the ground. Suddenly, Lucy is up in the air and slung over Natsu's shoulder, "Then let's go! I'll carry you!" He yells, and he begins running in the opposite direction of where they were heading.

"Where do you think you two are going, eh?" A dominating but feminine voice barks from behind them, and Natsu freezes.

"Don't freeze up, run Natsu!" Lucy whispered to his back. Natsu didn't reply, instead he slowly turned to face the Titania Erza, who was standing in the open doorway of Master Marcov's office. Erza glares at them, promising death if they took a step further. Natsu gulps, and holds on tighter to Lucy, slender fingers brushing the bare pale skin of her lower back where her shirt didn't quite reach. Lucy feels a shiver go up her spine and a blush heat her face, "N-Natsu…are we running or not?"

"Don't take another step." Erza commands, eyes narrowing. "Master is waiting for you."

Lucy can't help but feel great fear in her gut, but not because of this situation. _"Master is waiting for you_..._" _For some reason that line made her freeze up, start to sweat, and even choke up. _What does this have to do with me? Why am I so scared of that sentence?_ She thought, staring at the ground from her place on Natsu's shoulder, "What…?" She whispers to herself. Suddenly, images are flashing through her mind, quick and almost impossible to make out. She manages to see an image of…herself standing in front of a closed door, hands clasped in front of her, head bowed, eyes closed, as if she were praying. The door in front of her opens, revealing Master Goliean. Lucy swallows and enters, hands still clutching each other as the mahogany door closes behind her.

The images stop, and Lucy is left breathless and faint, "W-what?"

"You two, in the room, _now_." Erza demands, her voice sounding as if she had to repeat it for Lucy to fully hear.

Lucy hears a faint _click!_ and she looks at the corner of the hallway, eyes narrowing in suspicion. _What was that? _

Natsu sighs, and slowly lets Lucy down from his shoulder, using his arm that was wrapped around her waist. Even after her feet touch the ground, his arm was still around her, and she can't help the blush that creeps up her neck.

_Click!_ Lucy looks around again, getting annoyed. "What is that?"

"Let's go!" Erza snaps, taking a step towards them, "Don't make me count to three."

Lucy sighs and moves a tiny bit closer to Natsu, who in turn tightened his hold on her, "Let's just go, Natsu…"

_Click!_

Natsu nods and starts to stiffly walk forward, dragging the blonde Celestial mage along. They slowly walk past Erza, who fixed them with a suspicious glare, and they entered the dimly lit room. Master Marcov was sitting at his desk, a dark scowl on his face. He glares at Lucy and Natsu as they come to a halt in front of him. Natsu and Lucy stood apart now, no longer touching. Master Marcov stares at them for a little longer, before, "Sit."

They sit.

"Erza, close the door."

Erza shuts the door before turning to glare at the two again. Lucy feels a chill run down her spine and she glances at Natsu, who meets her eyes. He looks terrified, and Lucy felt even more frightened. "M-Master I-"

The Master of Fairy Tail holds up one hand to silence her, and she immediately falls silent, "Lucy…Natsu…do you have any idea how worried we all were about you?!"

Suddenly, Natsu speaks up, "Why isn't Happy here too?! He's as guilty as we are!"

Master looks at Natsu disapprovingly, "Because my concerns are more with mages who can't fly away from danger." Master sighs, "I will ask you again, do you have any idea how worried we all were about you. Erza was going frantic, Mirajane was in tears because you two were nowhere to be found, and everyone else started to believe that _you all were dead!_" He suddenly bellows, wrinkled face turned ugly with a scowl.

Lucy flinches slightly, feeling very guilty, "B-but…we aren't dead, so that's a plus, right?"

Master Marcov stares at her, narrowing his eyes, "A _plus_? No, Lucy, that doesn't make it a _plus_. Yes, we are all grateful that you, Natsu and Happy are still breathing, but have you know, you stopped breathing _three times_! Do you know what that did to everyone?!"

Suddenly, Lucy felt anger stir in her gut, "You guys barely know me yet, why should it concern you if I died or not?!" She immediately slaps her hands over her mouth, gasping at what she had said. Natsu, Master Marcov, and Erza stared at her, all too shocked to speak. Lucy bites her bottom lip behind her petite hands and looks at the ground, too scared to utter a word.

"Why…should it…_concern us_?!" A gruff voice grinded out and Lucy looked up to see Natsu in her face. She squeaked frightfully, eyes blinking rapidly. "_Why should it fucking concern us_?!"

Lucy gasps slightly. She never heard Natsu so angry before.

Natsu stares at her, before sighing. He pinches the bridge of his nose as if the world was infuriating him, "Lucy…you are a mage of Fairy Tail now. I don't know how things were wherever you were before here, but we don't just not care if one of our own dies. Sure, you might be a new member, but we all feel as if you've been here forever." Lucy was surprised at how…_mature_ Natsu looked, and she bites the inside of her lip, "We all care deeply for our mages, and guess what, Luce, you're one of them. Everything you do concerns us-well all the dangerous things, but you get the point. If I ever hear you say that again, I will show you something you should be concerned about! Do you understand me?!"

Lucy cowers in her seat, looking away in fear, _When did he get this intimidating?! And why is he so close to me?! _She screams in her mind, a blush darkening her bruised face, "U-um…." She stutters, cursing herself.

"I said, do you understand me?!"

Lucy nods meekly, "Y-yeah…loud and clear, Natsu…"

Natsu nods, yet his is more confident than her gesture, "Good." He turns and sits back down, crossing his large arms across his well-toned chest. **((A/N: yes, had to add that in there~!))**

Master Marcov coughs, glances at Erza- who smirks knowingly- before looking back at the two, "Well, since Natsu already pretty much said my speech, then…I guess we just skip straight to the punishment!"

Lucy sweat drops and glares at Natsu, "Geeze, thanks Natsu." Natsu rubs the back of his neck and smiles both nervously and apologetically. Lucy huffs and looks at Master Marcov, who was smirking at her gleefully. Lucy had the urge to get up and run for her life, but she knew that Erza would destroy her. She sighs and meets Marcov's eyes reluctantly.

"Lucy…you're punishment..." He pauses for a suspenseful atmosphere, causing Lucy to scoot forward in her seat. "….has already gone underway~!" He finished, smiling at them.

Lucy practically falls over at the anticlimactic ending and runs a hand down her face. Natsu's left eye twitches and he barks out, "Oi? What do you mean 'has already gone underway'?!"

Master Marcov smirks darkly, causing the young Fire DragonSlayer to cower in fear, "Lucy's dress is already being made."

Lucy coughs and sputters out, "D-dress?! For what?!"

Marcov looks at Lucy and says, "For your debut in the circus of course!"

Lucy stares at him, "Y-you can't be serious! I-I have no...Circus talent!"

"Sure you do. You're a mage, aren't you?"

Lucy is taken back, "W-well yeah."

"Then I don't see a problem. You're flexible, as you showed us when you volunteered for Natsu's performance-"

"He _practically forced me to_!"

"-and you have speed. I know the perfect bit for you!"

Natsu suddenly decided to speak up, quirking an eyebrow, "What is it, gramps?"

"Lucy, you'll be doing a shared bit with Natsu here!" Master Marcov said with a dark smirk.

Lucy's teeth clench, "A-a circus bit…with…_him_?!" She points angrily at Natsu, who looked confused, "I'll be lucky if I survive with minor burns!"

Natsu looks offended, but Master quickly speaks up, cutting off whatever biting remark Natsu was going to shoot back at her, "Oh, Lucy, everything will be fine. You two will practice together so much, you'll be able to recite what the other is about to do! You'll be fine."

For some reason, Lucy faintly blushes at the thought of being with Natsu 24/7, "M-much? How much time will we be spending together, Master?"

Master smirks at her, eyes narrowed with sadistic enjoyment-_Damn you, old man!_ - as he says, "Why, seven hours a day, Lucy~!"

The young blonde's left eye twitches in bewilderment, "S-seven…hours?"

Suddenly, Natsu launches an arm around Lucy's small shoulders, getting in her 'personal bubble', "Isn't this great, Luce? We can impress people with our partnership!"

Lucy stares at him and mutters, "Nothing bothers you, does it?"

Natsu shrugs, "I don't really care for water."

Lucy stares at him for a moment longer, before a slight giggle erupts from her lips, "Oh, really? No dip."

Natsu's head tilts in confusion, "Dip?"

Master Marcov smirks darkly, "And as for you, Natsu…" Natsu freezes and slowly turns to him, turning paper white, "You are to be in a Sorcery's Weekly summer photo shoot. The photo shoot begins this weekend, and Erza will be taking you."

Natsu glances over at Erza, who smirks and cracks her knuckles threateningly, "B-but, can't Luce drive me?!"

Lucy shakes her head, "Hell no, bud, you're on your own."

"But Lucy~!"

"Damn, how can the mighty Fire DragonSlayer Natsu be so whiny?!"

"Shut up, Luce!" Natsu scowls.

Lucy giggles and reaches over to pat him on his pink-hair clad head. She looks at Master and sighs, "Is that it?"

Master nods, "Have fun you two, and remember-" His eyes narrow and his look of sadistic enjoyment turns to pure anger, "-go on an S-class mission and I will sic the entire guild on you two, got it?!"

Natsu and Lucy nod, eyes wide, "A-aye sir!" They say in unison.

Master Marcov is suddenly all bright and cheerful again, "Great! Now, go away you brats."

Lucy scowls and stands up, followed by a sad DragonSlayer. As they walk past, Erza glares at Natsu and says with a sadistic smirk, "See you Friday, Natsu."

Natsu blanches and turns even paler, following Lucy shakily. Lucy glances back at him as they walk down the hallway leading away from Master Marcov's office, "Why are you so afraid of riding with Erza?"

Natsu glances at her and mutters, "S-she drives like a mad woman…!"

Lucy giggles, "Sucks for you~!"

"Shut up."

OoOoOoO

The whole guild is mumbling and giggling when the two walk in. Lucy glances around, quirking a blonde eyebrow. Natsu and Lucy walk further into the guild hall, both curious at the glances and whispers. Lucy looks at Natsu, "Should we be frightened?"

Natsu shrugs and says, "They're saying something about pictures and cuteness."

She hears a squeal of "KAWAII~!" and she twirls to see Mirajane fainting after looking at something Happy was showing to her. The cat had a sinister grin on his face, which causes both Natsu and Lucy to gulp. Happy looks at them and his smirk broadens and he floats over to a pillar in the center of the room. He takes out some tape and uses it to paste three pieces of shiny paper to the wall, and then he flies away. Curious, Lucy heads over, not caring if Natsu was following or not. She approaches the pillar, trying to ignore the whispers and giggles, and pears at three things that suddenly made her realize life was Hell.

Taped to the pillar were three pictures of Natsu and Lucy. The first one was of Natsu slinging Lucy across his shoulder, the second one was him putting her down but still holding on to her, and the third one…was her holding onto to Natsu in fear. Lucy feels her left eyes twitch, and she screeches the first thing that came to mind,

"HAPPY I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

**OoOoOoO**

**There's chapter 13 of CDF. Sorry it took so long. Please review, it helps :)**

**-PARADISE.x**


	14. Assassin

**Hey everyone and welcome to Circus de Fairy Tail chapter 14! Awww man, Happy is so dead, ha-ha! Lucy's….very angry…run Happy, run!**

**BTW there is some LoLu in this chapter, and if you don't like it, then just skip over it. It's not like him confessing his love to her, just a bit of flirting and friendship type of this….and Loke's over protectiveness.**

**This is officially my longest chapter yet! Over 2, 600 words! Hell, over 2, 750 words! I am so proud of myself. This chapter got away from me at some parts but….whatever.**

**Anyway, enjoy the story!**

**OoOoOoO**

"HAPPY I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" The young mage screams, practically foaming at the mouth. Said blue cat screams himself- in fear, not fury- and flies high up into the pillars. Lucy, the girl who was stomping around and screaming at the cat, screeches again, "Happy, get your little blue ass down here, _right now_!"

Happy sniffs, tears running down his face, "B-but you'll hurt me!"

"Damn straight I'll hurt you! Stupid cat, why would you take pictures like that?!"

"I thought that Mirajane would love to see them!"

"SO WHY DID THE ENTIRE GUILD SEE IT?!"

Every member in the guild, even the big Gajeel, cowers in fear at the blonde's anger, and all scoot away. Natsu stares in fear at Lucy, wondering if he should risk his life and save his friend. He decided against it.

"B-because I thought you two were cute and I wanted everyone to see how cute you were together!" Happy calls down, still sobbing. Lucy growls like an animal and glances around. Her narrowed doe-eyes land on a table three people were sitting at. She marches over, grabs the side of the table, and drags it under here Happy was in the beams. The people who sat there said nothing, and just prayed for the little cat.

"Lucy-san! No need to actually go in pursuit of Happy, right?" A gruff male voice calls out. Lucy turns to see Gray rubbing the back of his head nervously. "I mean, he had good intentions!"

Lucy growls again, "Good intentions? That cat _smirked_ at me when he put up these pictures. There is no such thing as 'good intentions' with Happy!"

Gray sighs and says, "Lucy, please calm down, it was a little joke." Suddenly, a smirk comes to his handsome face, "Unless…you _liked_ being slung over Natsu's sho-"

The poor man didn't even get to finish his sentence before Lucy was on him like white on rice, latching onto his back and punching his head. Gray screams like a little girl and tries to swat Lucy off. His efforts are proved futile as Lucy dodges the hits and pinches his cheeks, stretching them out. "What were you gonna say, Gray-san?!"

"N-nothing, Lucy-san!"

"Damn straight you weren't gonna say anything." She hits him one last time and climbs off of him. In the struggle between Gray and Lucy, Happy had flown off somewhere, much to Lucy's fury. "UGH! HAPPY! I WILL FIND YOU!" She screeches, before sighing again and heading over to the pillar where the pictures were posted. She rips off the pictures one by one and shoves them in to the pocket of her mini-skirt. She glances back at the guild, who were all staring at her, "What are you looking at?" She remarks, narrowing her pretty eyes again. Every guild member immediately loos away in fear for their lives, and go back to chatting about whatever. Lucy smiles to herself and prowls over to the bar, where Mirajane had finally come to. Lucy smiles kindly at Mirajane, holding no fury at the beautiful white-haired barmaid.

Mirajane smiles back, "What can I do for you, Lucy?"

Lucy shrugs, "That hot chocolate you made me that one time. It was so good." Mirajane nods and goes into the back to get the ingredients for the hot chocolate.

An arm swings around her shoulder, and Lucy turns her head to send a biting remark to who she thought it was, but stops at the sight of Leo looking at her, "L-Leo! What are you doing here? I didn't even call you out!"

The orange haired Zodiac smirks at her softly, eyes seductive, "Can't I visit my favorite blonde in the whole world?"

"I'm your Master, I better be your favorite blonde…" Lucy mutters, edging away from the seductive lion. "Anywho…" She scowls darkly at the man, who inches back nervously, "About you being a part of Fairy Tail before you met me…" She abruptly stands up, grabbing Leo by ear. She begins to drag him across the room.

"Ow, ow, ow~!" Leo says, having no choice but to skip along after Lucy. "W-where are you taking me, my dear?"

_God, even when I'm dragging him by the ear, he still manages to call me flirty names! _She seethes, "To my room."

That got the attention of the fellow guild mates. Cana looks at the two from her place next to a large barrel, and she smirks, "Oooh, Lucy~! First Natsu and now Loke? Busy bee…" She laughs like a maniac. Lucy blushes and frowns,

"I would hardly think so! I have no interest in Natsu or Leo- I mean Loke…" Lucy glares back at Leo, who shrinks back in fear.

"So, nothing with Natsu?" A small voice pipes up. Lucy stops and looks down to be staring at Levy.

Lucy smiles, "No, Levy-chan, nothing with Natsu."

"So you don't like him?"

"Well, I like him-"

"So it's an unrequited love? Why doesn't he love you back?"

"N-no, Levy, it's not like that either!" Lucy stutters, her face going scarlet. Leo looks up at Lucy, getting annoyed at the blush she had when they talked about Natsu.

Cana suddenly prowls over, as does Mirajane, Bisca, and even Erza. They surround her, nearly suffocating both Lucy and Loke.

"So you like Natsu?" Mirajane.

"What's he like in bed?" Cana.

"When did you guys hook up?" Bisca.

"Do you perhaps eat cake together and compare armor? If so, may I join in?" Erza.

Lucy blushes darkly and stutters as their questions grow and grow in sound and as they get closer and closer. She whips her head from side to side, almost giving herself whiplash. Then, she just falls to the ground, "Ah! Loke, help me!"

She is suddenly lifted up into the air and carted away by large arms. Lucy looks up to see Loke grinning down at her, "Just had to say the words, sweetheart. Your room, then?"

Lucy nods, still unable to speak from the horrific interview with the women. Loke runs away from the group of girls who had just noticed Lucy was gone, and races into the surreal hallway, chuckling as he went. Lucy sighs and runs a hand through her blonde hair, trying to calm her racing heart, _Me? And Natsu? Are they crazy?! As if Natsu and I would ever be a couple…ha-ha…_ Lucy sighs again, praying for the redness in her face to go away. Leo comes to her room and opens the door, entering with Lucy in his arms.

He leans down and whispers in her ear, "_It could be like this on our wedding night~!_"

There goes Lucy's wish to not be blushing, "S-shut up, Leo! I'm angry at you." She jumps down from his arms and glares at him. Leo shrinks back, scratching his head nervously. "So…in an enemy guild…the one I have to infiltrate and steal from…and you don't even _fucking tell me_?!" She furiously whispers, cautious if anyone should overhear.

Leo looks at the ground, "W-well, Lucy…I…you see…"

Lucy narrows her eyes, "See what? Did you want me to be killed?!"

Leo's dark eyes snap to her, and he practically growls, "Shut up, Lucy. You know that as long as you are my Master, Hell even after that, I would never wish for anything bad to happen to you."

Lucy stares at him, before sighing and nodding, "Sorry, Leo…but why didn't you tell me? You could have told me the secrets of this place! You could have made my job easier!"

Leo stares at her for a moment, before saying in his smooth voice, "I don't approve of your choice in guild. Thieves' Guild…it isn't like you…"

Lucy clenches her teeth together, "I've been in Thieves' Guild all my life, Leo, I enjoy stealing, I enjoy making Master happy…I enjoy earning his respect."

"Even if the respect is that of a cruel low-life thief who only cares about himself and his own-" He is cut off by a loud _smack_ and his own head being whipped to the side. His glasses fall off his face and hit the floor, one of the green-tinted lenses popping out. Leo stares at the ground, trying to comprehend what had happened.

Lucy, whose hand was still up high and red from slapping Leo, scowls, "_Never ever talk about my Master Goliean that way. I will _kill_ you._"Her voice is dark, emotionless, sounding odd with her evil scowl. Leo stares up at her, fear racing through his eyes, before he takes control again and stands to full height. He grabs her hand, the same for the other one and stares directly into her eyes. Well, as best as he could. Her eyes were covered by her blond bangs, and she was shaking.

"Lucy. Get it together; you remember what happened the last time you lost control." Leo says to her calmly, eyes narrowing. "Please, Lucy…for…Natsu."

Lucy jerks and suddenly, he could see her eyes again. She blinks, dazed, "O-oh? Thank you, Leo…I am sorry."

Leo nods, "It's okay, Lucy. And about the fight with that corpse raiser…"

Lucy stares at Leo and sighs, "Yeah, I know. It won't happen again, Leo, I promise. I cannot afford to lose control like that again…and Leo…"

The Zodiac looks at her, "Yes?"

"Why Natsu?"

Leo scratches his head, "I thought you were in love with him!"

Lucy growls, "Leo…I AM NOT IN LOVE WITH NATSU!"

OoOoOoO

Natsu's onyx eyes narrow as he hears the screech. _Lucy…doesn't love me?_ He thought. He scowls and his fists clench. He backs away from Lucy's door, back hitting the opposite wall. He stares at the ground, "L-Luce…you don't love me? I thought…I thought we were _nakama_…I love my _nakama_…everyone does…so why don't you love me?" He said into the darkness, clenching his teeth again.

"_I know, I know…you're too busy loving me to even notice that brute!" _Natsu heard Loke say, and his eyes snap up to glare at the door. _S-she loves…this poser?!_ He finds himself yelling in his mind.

"_Shut up, Leo. He isn't a brute, he's actually very nice and funny and cute."_ Natsu perks up at Lucy's verbal assault on Leo, and a tiny smile comes to his face from the compliments. _I-I'm cute?_

"_Oh, so you think he's cute, eh?"_

"_And sweet, and adorable, and kind and thoughtful and-shut up, Leo. He has his moments, just like you."_

"_Comparing me to Natsu, Lucy? I am deeply offended!" _Natsu can't help but growl darkly at Loke's words, and he stands up from the wall, debating on whether or not to barge in there and put Loke in his place.

"_Shut up, Leo." She says that a lot… "He can be very obnoxious and very dense…he isn't so smart either, academically. Definitely not a gentleman, not even close. So, in a way, he is kind of a brute, with his constant fighting and swearing…"_

"_Like you're any better, Lucy."_

"_Shut up, Leo."_

_God, she says that a lot…._ Natsu smirks, not really caring if Lucy didn't think he was a gentleman, "Well, now that I know she still thinks I'm amazing…" He turns to walk away, but stops at the next words that fall from Lucy's mouth.

"_Leo…I'm…scared." _Lucy says, voice slightly quivering. Natsu instantly goes to Lucy's door, ready to leap in at any moment to help his best friend, _who is Luce scared of? I'll kill them!_

"_Of what, sweetheart?"_

"_Of…Natsu."_

And just like that, Natsu felt his blood run cold. He stares at the door, his teeth clenched. "Luce…Luce's scared of me?" He clenches his right fist, and shoots it straight at the door. The door bursts open, revealing a surprised Lucy and Loke, who both had jumped at least three feet in the air when he had burst in. Natsu locks his onyx eyes on Lucy, "Oi! Luce!"

Lucy glances at Loke, before answering, "Y-yes?"

Natsu strides straight up to her, scaled scarf trailing behind him, and puts his hands on her petite shoulders. She stares up at him, bewildered, "N-Natsu?"

Natsu looks directly into her big doe eyes, a scowl on his face, "Lucy…I would never hurt you, so there is no reason for you to be afraid of me. I am you best friend and partner, I am your fellow guild mate and fellow mage, and I am your _nakama_. Please, do not be afraid of me. I can be better, I can act more like this…'gentleman' thing you talk about, I can make you happy!"

Lucy stares up at Natsu, before a big grin graces her beautiful features, "Natsu…you _baka_! You don't need to change for me to be your friend. You are perfect the way you are!" She giggles softly and pats his face.

Natsu cocks his head, confused, "B-but you told Loke…"

Lucy laughs, "I was scared that you would make me go on a mission tonight!"

The young DragonSlayer stares down at his blonde friend, before a giant grin comes to his face, "Oh, good, Lucy! I was scared that…you were afraid of me and I don't want that, I want you to look at me for protection and help…"

Loke decides to speak up, "Oh, Lucy can handle herself. Now, if you would excuse me. Good night Lucy, Natsu." With a dip of his head, the Zodiac disappears in a flash of bright white light. Lucy covers up her eyes, to protect them from the light. She smiles up at Natsu,

"Is there something else you want, Natsu?"

Natsu shakes his head no.

"Good, then get out of my room." Lucy growls, a scowl on her face. Natsu sweat drops, before hurriedly exiting her room.

OoOoOoO

Lucy stares after him and sighs, _I lied to him so easily…I don't know if I can do that again…I hate lying to him…_ She thought to herself as she threw herself onto her bed, flopping. She yawns and glancing through the window. It was nighttime. _Where did the day go?_ She thought and she shrugs. She sighs again, and closes her eyes.

_You should change out of your clothes, Lucy…_ Her mind whispers to her, but she ignores it, simply shrugging again and pulling up the pink blanket over her body. She curls up into a ball and sighs again, but mostly because she was comfortable. _I'll deal with all of this in the morning…in the morning…_ And just like that, Lucy falls into slumber.

OoOoOoO

"_Lucy….oh Lucy…"_

_M-Master Goliean?_

"_Yes, Lucy, it's me."_

_Oh Master…they trust me; everything is going exactly to plan. That dim-wit Natsu thinks I am his best friend…even Erza suspects nothing, Master…are you proud of me?_

"_I won't be proud until you bring me Marcov's head on a platter."_

_W-what? That's not part of the plan._

"_New plan Lucy…you aren't a thief anymore. You're an assassin now. Bring me the Fairy Master's head and you will truly become the best mage in all of Fiore…well under me of course."_

_But Master…That is going too far._

"_You killed that one man, remember? How is this any different?"_

_I had to kill him…he was a threat to the mission._

"_And so is Marcov. He knows who you are, Lucy."_

_What?! Then why has he kept me alive?_

"_Because he wants to rub defeat in our faces. He wants you to believe that you are victorious, so that when you steal the Fairy Tail fortune, he will kill you in the most disrespectful way possible. He wants you to feel the full force of defeat. He is merciless. Kill him…kill him before he kills you."_

_But Master…_

"_DO YOU WANT TO DIE, LUCY?!"_

_N-no, Master Goliean…_

"_Then do as I say."_

_Very well, Master. I will kill Master Marcov._

**OoOoOoO**

**Dun, dun, dun, duuuuuuuuuuuuuun~! Ha-ha! Cliff hanger! There's gonna be a lot of those…he-he! I hope you enjoyed this chapter of CDF! BTW, this whole Master Goliean and Lucy thing ending the chapter is him communicating with Lucy through her dreams. Does that give you a hint on what type of mage Master Goliean is? **laughs manically****

**Oh, and NEW POLICY PLEASE READ:**

**10 Reviews: 5 days until update, no matter when I finish the chapter.**

**20 Reviews: 2 Days until update.**

**30+ Reviews: Immediately! ((Please allow two hours after me counting reviews to update))**

**I know, I know, you probably think I'm a bitch now, but there are too many non-reviewers. The same for my other story The Devil's Associate ((More advertising within another story XD I'm awful~!)), so many faves and followers, and only like 10 reviews. Not that I am not grateful or anything for the reviews, 'cause I really am! I just….want more…. ((Wow, greedy-rich-brat much?)) Thanks for understanding!**

**Bye!**

**PARADISE.x**


	15. Criminal P1

**Hey fanfic readers! How is your day going? Mine is good…relatively. I present to you, Circus de Fairy Tail chapter…15? Yeah, 15! This is Criminal Part 1 of 2! Maybe 3! The Mission chapters were only supposed to be two but…yeah….ANYWHO! I hope you enjoy this chapter, and how dark it is *sadistic grin*. You're gonna figure out what Loke meant by talking with Lucy about her 'losing control again'. And wow….my new policy really worked! I'm so smart!**

**Disclaimer: I realized something….I should probably do this…ANYWHO, do I sound like a damn God to you? Do I sound like a genius? Do I sound like a magnificent person who came up with the best idea EVER?! Uh, no. I do not own Fairy Tail, nor do I make any profits from this story. I do this purely for the entertainment of myself and others, thankyouverymuch. Mashima Hiro-dono owns the marvelous work that is Fairy Tail and all of its splendid characters.**

**Also, this chapter is dedicated to SamiBear…thank you so much :).**

**OoOoOoO**

Darkness greets the young mage as she shoots awake, dazed and terrified from her dream, _K-kill…Master Marcov? Are you insane, Master Goliean?!_ She thought to herself, laying her face into her palms. "M-murder…again?" She whispers, and she clenches her teeth.

_If Master orders it, it shall be done._ A gnarled place in her screeches, the words echoing in her brain, _But…to murder…the great Master of Fairy Tail…the wielder of the legendary Fairy Law…it just isn't possible for someone like me…I would die before I even touch him…_ She down talked herself, biting her lip fiercely, causing it to bleed. The blood flows into her mouth, the copper tasting liquid causing her to gag. She shoots up and tries to rid her mouth of the taste. She hated blood, the color, the smell, the taste…she was disgusted by even a drop of it. Lucy coughs up the red liquid and wipes it away, wanting nothing to do with it. Her fluffy pink comforter makes her hot in her own humid room, and she fans herself with her hand, _Why is it so hot?_ She thought. She shrugs it off and places her hand next to her, to heave herself up.

Lucy's hand touches something hot and hard, and she screams. Loudly. The thing under her hand shoots up and exclaims in a loud and sleepy voice, "Agh! Luce, what the Hell~!"

Lucy jumps from her bed and runs over to her floor lamp on the other side of the room. She turns it on, and whips towards her bed, brown eyes wide with fear. There, sitting up on her bed, is a disheveled and tired-looking Natsu, who was rubbing his eyes. Her scowl is quick to come to her face, and a low growl builds in her throat, "Natsu…WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN MY ROOM?!"

Natsu looks at her curiously, "I didn't feel like sleeping in my room."

"What's so wrong with your room?!"

"It doesn't smell good. It smells really good in here…it smells like you." Natsu says shamelessly.

Lucy blushes madly and stutters out, "D-don't try to sweet talk your way out of this!"

Natsu shrugs nonchalantly, "I'm going back to sleep, Luc-eee…." He says as he lies back down.

"No!" Lucy screeches, "You are not sleeping in my bed! NATSU!" She jumps onto her bed, then onto him, straddling him. She growls and gets in his face, "Natsu, get off my bed and go back to your stinky room!"

Natsu stares up at her, onyx eyes darkening, "Lucy….what are you doing?"

Lucy cocks her head, "What do you mea-" She cuts off and looks down, noticing that she was straddling him…right on his hips. She blushes darkly and growls, "Pervert! As if I did this on purpose! For all I know, you could have purposely moved-"

"Lucy." His tone is low and oddly mature.

This draws her attention to his face. His eyes are dark, and he was looking away from her, "Y-yeah, Natsu?"

"What did you mean by 'murder again'?"

Lucy's blood runs cold, and her blush fades away as her creamy skin goes pale. Her fist clench and she stares down at him, doe-eyes wide, "W-what?" Her voice is barely a whisper.

"You said 'murder again', which says you have killed before, Lucy…what did you mean?" He stares back up at her, his gaze intense.

"I-I…don't know what you are talking about, Natsu…must have been in your dreams or something." She says, trying to make her voice strong, _He heard that?! Oh, God, no…_

Natsu stares at her for a moment longer, taking in her features, before he sighs and says, "If you say so, Luce."

Lucy breaths out a sigh of relief and smiles at him, "Good…" She looks down at him, a blush darkening her face again, _why am I not getting off of him?!_ She screeches in her mind, but she doesn't move a muscle. She simply blushes and stares down at him. In turn, Natsu stares up at her, onyx eyes wide.

_W-what is this heat in my gut?!_ Lucy exclaims in her mind, gulping, "I..uh…I…" She glances down at where she was straddling him and squeaks at the sight of his large, rough hands on her hips, almost as if he was holding her in place. She feels arousal peak in her gut and she looks away.

"Lucy…"

Lucy glances down at him, to see that intense look again, but this time, it was different. It was…more feral? She gulps, "Y-yeah?"

"You're heavy."

OoOoOoO

Lucy sighs as she peers **((A/N: I got it right this time, xNightDreamersx!)) **over at Natsu, who was inspecting the mission board with great enthusiasm, laughing at low paying jobs and cheering at high paying ones, but then sulking when they weren't dangerous missions. Lucy can't help smile at his antics, before looking back at Mirajane, who cocks her head to the side, "Why are you watching Natsu, Lucy?" A devious smile comes to her gorgeous face, "Do you li-"

Lucy puts a hand over her mouth, "No."

Mirajane sighs and whines through Lucy's hand, "But Lucy~!"

Lucy sweat drops, "Jesus, you're worse than Natsu when he doesn't get something he wants." She takes her hand off of Mirajane's mouth and imitates Natsu, "_But Lucyyyyy~! Why can't I have your foooood~? Lucyyyyyyyyy~!_"

Mirajane laughs loudly, "Ha-ha! If you were paid to imitate Natsu, you would be a billionaire!"

The two women spent the next half hour mimicking Natsu and making him look like an over-grown child. Natsu glances at them from the mission board, before stomping over with his usual gusto. He throws an arm around Lucy's shoulders and scowls, "Lucy! Stop making fun of me!"

Lucy giggles, face heating up by how close he was, "Sorry, Natsu! You're just too funny for us _not_ to imitate you!"

Natsu's scowl deepens, "I'm not funny."

Mirajane looks at the two and smiles softly, "Awwww~! You two are so cute together!"

And just like that, Lucy was gone from her seat and already halfway across the room, blushing madly. Natsu looks at her, then his empty arm, then back at Lucy, "….how does she move so fast?"

Mirajane smirks and shrugs, "No idea, Natsu. Why don't you two go on a mission before tonight?"

Natsu looks at Mirajane, "Eh? What's tonight?"

"You and Lucy's first practice together, silly! You know, for the Circus!"

"Oh! Okay! Good idea, Mirajane, I'll go get Lucy!" Natsu says, then abruptly stands up, smirking broadly, "Yo! Lucy!"

Said blonde mage glances over at him, sees the excited look in his eyes, and gulps nervously, "Y-yeah?" She calls to him.

"Let's go on a mission! An easy one this time!" Natsu says, rushing over to her and practically shoving people who got in his way. Lucy sweat drops at her friend's antics and says,

"An easy one?"

Natsu nods avidly, still smiling, "Yeah! 'Cause I know you want to have enough strength for the rest of the day, especially for tonight!"

Lucy cocks her head, "Tonight?"

"Yeah, me and you are practicing our act in the Circus!"

Lucy sighs and looks away, "Damn it…that's right…" She curses, before sighing again and looking at Natsu.

Natsu's eyes were dark with….sadness? He hangs his head and says sorrowfully, "You…don't want to be in the Circus with me? Do you really hate me that much?"

Lucy gasps and puts her hands on his face out of instinct, _What the Hell am I doing?!_ And stares into Natsu's dark onyx eyes, "Natsu! Shame on you for believing I could ever hate you! Or even mildly dislike you! Sure, you're boisterous, crude and dense, but you're sweet and kind and loving…" She pecks him delicately on the forehead, bringing heat not just to her face, but Natsu's as well, "I could never hate you, silly!" _Why am I saying these things to him? To…get him to trust me more! Yeah, let's go with that!_ She hastily informs herself in her mind, still smiling softly at the fire DragonSlayer.

Said young man raises his head and looks at Lucy, taking in her sweet smile and bright eyes. He stares at her for a moment, searching her face for something. When he had obviously found it, he smiles and wraps his big arms around her. Lucy squeaks as he crushes her into his body, "Thanks, Luce…you're my best friend." His tone was serious, yet also bright and happy. Lucy is taken by surprise at his words and she finds herself biting her lip nervously, glancing around and seeing some guild mates taking an interest in the two.

"N-Natsu! P-people are staring! They're gonna jump to conclusions!" Lucy furiously whispers in Natsu's ear, having no idea what the feeling of her warm breath on his bare skin made him feel.

"So? I'm just hugging my partner!"

"B-but, this is a very _long_ hug, Natsu! Just partners don't hug like this!"

"Then we're obviously more than partners!"

Lucy's heart almost stops, and she gulps, face completely scarlet, "E-eh?"

Natsu stands back and peers down at her, "We're not only partners, but best friends too!" he says with a shit eating grin, showing off sharp canines.

The young blonde mage sweat drops and backs away from him, "Right…I'm going to go pick a mission, you wait here." She says, before quickly turning away from the confused DragonSlayer, trying her best to ignore the sexual comments and humored laughter from the guild mates around her. She goes up to the cracked request board and gazes up at the sheets of paper,

_Hm….Rid town of monster, 8,000 jewels….Pfft, cheapskate…Rid town of thieves…45,000 jewels…nah, too risky…Take down the Jingle Butt Gang…who the Hell are they? The price is low, too, only 7,000 jewels…ooooh! How about this! _She picks up a slightly faded paper and smiles broadly down at the mission request, "Ha! Obtain long lost family amulet…the pay is 100,000 jewels!" She crushes it to her busty chest, grinning. She turns back towards Natsu and runs to him, confident with her mission choice. Finding an amulet, easy right?

Natsu looks at her curiously, "What did you get, Lucy?"

Lucy hands the flier to him and beams, "Perfect job! Very easy with high pay!"

Natsu scowls at the paper, "Too easy…Lucy can we do something else?"

"No." Lucy deadpans, scowling darkly at him.

Natsu gulps and nods, "O-okay, Lucy! I'll go get Happy…."

Lucy nods, and goes off the Mirajane to show her which mission she was going on.

OoOoOoO

Lucy sighs dramatically as Natsu, Happy and her walk from the train station, scratching her head lightly. The mission they had gone on was a total bust! At first, it was fine, easy really, just going around a gigantic mansion and searching for some amulet, but of course, the second Natsu saw the giant chandeliers, he wanted to fucking _ride them_. Lucy glares over at her partner, who walks beside her but a good foot away, being extra cautious around the furious blonde. Long story short, Natsu had destroyed one chandelier out of the three that were there, and that had cost them the _entire pay_. Lucy had chased Natsu around with a gigantic stick for about an hour before Happy was able to calm her down, even if it was just a bit it chased the murderous intent out of her mind.

"Fucking idiot…" She hisses in a low voice, hoping that Natsu hears it. Obviously he had, because the DragonSlayer's eyes go to the ground, and his shoulders slump. _Give him a break, Lucy; it's in his nature to act like an idiot. _A tiny voice squeaks in her brain, and she sighs, deciding to give into its demands. She looks at the downcast Natsu, sighs again before-

"I'm sorry, Lucy." His voice is low and apologetic, and he glances at her almost fearfully.

Surprise blooms in her, before a wave of affection. The big smile comes to her face and she says, "I should be saying that to you, Natsu. I am sorry for calling you an idiot."

"But Lucy…"

As the two talk with Happy trailing behind them, an old man closes the door to a flashy looking store, one that sold jewelry and other fine minerals. Lucy glances over at the old man, waves and smiles in a friendly way, and her gestures are returned. She looks at the shop as well, and freezes at the sight of a golden necklace incrusted with dark red rubies. Forgetting about Natsu and Happy, she slowly makes her way over to the store with the necklace in the window, eyes wide. She was mesmerized, hypnotized, engrossed in the recognizable necklace. As she gets nearer, Natsu and Happy stare at her.

"Uh, Lucy?"

But Lucy doesn't hear them, she just continues further and further towards the store. Once she approaches it, she places a hungry hand on the glass, mouth hanging open slightly. She stares at it for a moment longer, before finally piecing it all together, "M-mama…" She whispers, tears welling up in her eyes. _T-that's mama's necklace! How did it get here? I thought she was buried with it! _Anger floods through her, and she hisses out, "God damn…fucking…_thieves_!" She brings back her hand that had been pressed against the glass, and brings it to her side, clenching her fist.

The old man walks up to her, "Oh, are you looking at that, deary?" He obviously had not heard Lucy's hiss, and could not see her anger, "That's 230,000 jewels…got it at a yard sale, can you believe it?"

Lucy clenches her teeth, "No, I cannot believe it…" _230, 000 jewels? I don't have that much money. _Her eyes widen as a voice hisses two words in her mind,

_Steal it._

Lucy shakes her head and looks back at the necklace through the glass, clenching her teeth harder, _that's what you're made for, Lucy. Steal back mama's necklace…you know you want to. _The voice whispers and she could almost hear the smirk in its tone. The scowl on her face deepens, making her usual beautiful face ugly. "I don't have that kind of money, sir." She says, before stomping back over to Natsu, fists clenching and unclenching.

Natsu stares curiously at her, "Luce…?"

Lucy raises a hand to shush him, "It is nothing, let's just go home."

Natsu stares at her for a second, before finally nodding his agreement. Lucy glances at Happy, who watching her carefully. She sighs and runs a hand through her silky blonde hair, and continues towards the guild.

OoOoOoO

The old storekeeper's eyes snap open as the sounds of breaking glass resonate in his ears. He sits up in his drab bed and swings his short legs over the side, slipping his old feet into fluffy blue slippers. He stands up straight, wincing a bit at the way his bones cracked, and walked over to a safe next to his bed. He types in a combination, and opens it, reveling a large shot gun and packs of ammunition. He picks up the shot gun and loads it with bullets. Clicking it back into place, the old storekeeper heads to his door, opening it carefully, not making a single noise. He creeps into the hallway that leads to a stairway which went down into his jewelry store. He steps on the first top step, relived that it made no noise, and he slowly makes his way into his store, holding on tightly to his gun. When he makes it to ground level, he chokes back a gasp when his eyes land on a figure wearing nothing but pink pajamas and gold slippers. He takes in the intruder's appearance, from its bright blonde hair to its long legs. Definitely female, this he could tell even with his old eyes, "W-who are you?!" He calls out threateningly, cursing himself for stuttering.

The figure stops from it fevered searching through one of his safes, and slowly turns around. The old man gasps, eyes going wide.

It was the girl from earlier, the one who had been interested in his wares.

"Y-you? I should've known by how you looked at that necklace that you were plannin' something!" The old man barks, pointing the gun at her.

The girl looks at him, eyes covered by long bangs, her mouth an expressionless line, before she turns back to the safe, probably searching for that necklace.

"Didn't you hear me, bitch? I will shoot! I ain't afraid!" Even as he says this, his gun rattles in his shaking hands, and he curses himself again.

The girl turns her head slightly, showing that she heard him, before reaching in deep into the safe and pulling out a gorgeous golden necklace incrusted with shining rubies. They shine in the moonlight as she stands to her full height and place it around her neck, ignoring the shopkeeper and his gun.

"I'm warning you, girl!" The old man barks, obviously afraid of the sadistically calm girl.

The girl looks at him, blonde hair still covering her eyes. She stares at him for what seems like eternity, before a maniacal joker grin spreads across her face, and she holds up a piece of glass already dripping with her own blood of her wounded right fist. The shopkeeper backs up, gasping loudly, before regaining his composure and pointing the gun at her again.

The young woman's grin seems to grow even bigger, and she rolls her head to the side, unearthing her eyes from behind her bangs. They were black, completely, like a shark's, with a predatory glint that made the old man's bone turn soggy and his brain freeze.

"_I am going to kill you._"

**OoOoOoO**

**Dun dun dun duuuuuuuuuuuuuuun~! Lol ANOTHER CLIFFY! God, I'm awful. Time to update my other story, I suppose…erg, don't feel like it XD**

**Anyway, you know the new policy:**

**10 Reviews: 5 days until update**

**20 Reviews: 2 days until update**

**30+: Immediately(please allow 2-3 hours or more after I read all of the reviews~!)**

**Thankyoucomeagain~!**

**PARADISE.x**


	16. Criminal P 2

**Hey, everyone, I want to thank you all for the marvelous reviews and continued support! I love you all (no homo if you're a girl!)! Oooooh, Lucy KILLED that poor ol' shopkeeper? That FIEND. Lol, haha. I know that for some of you (*coughSamiBearcough*) my last chapter just added more questions, and I am delighted to inform you that you'll just have to wait :D!**

**I really wanted to name this chapter 'Normal' (you'll see why), but I already named it Criminal P. 2 :'(**

**Anywho, this is Criminal part 2 of 2! Most likely two…maybe three….I'll see how this chapter comes out, then tell you in the end :D**

**I dedicate this chapter to xNightDreamersx!**

**OoOoOoO**

She groans in her sleep and turns, slowly prying her eyes open to be staring into darkness. She smiles softly, feeling comfort in her position on her bed. She sighs again, throwing her blanket off of her, and heaving herself from her soft bed sheets. She moans softly as she stretches, loving the sound and feeling of her bones cracking and popping. Once she stops, she scratches her flat stomach and heads over to her bathroom, yawning slightly. She begins to hum to herself as she opens the door, wrinkling her nose at the strong scent of copper, _What…?_ She scowls, before flicking on the light switch.

Lucy takes one look in the mirror, and has to bite her lip to keep from screaming at the top of her lungs. Staring into the mirror, she backs up, hitting the wall, covering it in hot, sticky crimson. She was splattered with blood, it was everywhere, covering her face and matting her beautiful blonde hair. Blood splatters race up her stomach, stopping at a gorgeous ruby necklace, the color matching the dried up liquid. Her hand comes up to her mouth, but she quickly tears it away from herself, seeing that it was drenched in dried gore. She touches the rubies, and gags as she comes to a conclusion.

This wasn't her blood, this necklace didn't belong to her, and she didn't remember anything from the night before. "N-No…" she stutters, already feeling a cold sweat break out across her soiled skin, "Please, God, no…not again! Don't tell me I lost control again!" She quickly takes action, jumping into her bathtub and stripping out of her clothing. She immediately turns on the water, the hot water spraying across her, cleaning away the blood from her skin. She grabs her washcloth and gets to work on the dried blood that stuck stubbornly to her pale, clammy skin. Her brown eyes are wide, and she shakes violently as the deed is done, and she throws down the bloodied cloth with her equally destroyed bed wear. She stands underneath the water flow, letting it beat hard against her head, washing the blood from her blonde hair, returning the strands to their former golden glory. She runs a hand through it, wincing as her fingers caught on knots and tore some clumps out.

In a fit of fury, Lucy slams her fist in the tiled wall of her bathroom, wincing and cursing at her stupidity, "Fuck…!" She grips her fist, noticing the angry red, knowing that she will have a large bruise later. She growls and curses again, looking down at her fist. Her doe-eyes go wide with fear when they land on her finger nails, cold seeping into her core, even with the steaming water streaming down upon her. Blood, flesh, gore that looked suspiciously liked _muscle_, were caked underneath her long nails, and her pinkie nail was torn completely off.

She can't help the vomit that rushes up her throat and out of her mouth, the greenish pinkish liquid spewing all over the tub. She looks down at it in disgust, before getting to work on her nails, being careful of her pinkie. She coughs a bit, tears streaming down her face, mixing with the fresh water of the shower, turning it salty. As the flesh and blood fall from under her nails and into the bathtub, she finds herself sobbing harder and harder until it was difficult to breathe and see. She claws at a stubborn piece of meat between her index fingernail, before she finally just cries out in sorrowful, frightened frustration, "No! No, no, no, no, no, no!"She continues to sob as she finally dislodges the foreign human meat, and it falls into the water, turning the area around it crimson. It slides down the tub and empties into the drain.

Lucy stares, disbelief shocking her, "Why…?" The tears stop and she grabs her strawberry scented shampoo, the one she never used because it had such a strong scent. Maybe this would keep the smell of coppery blood from anyone's nostrils if they got too close to her. She squeezes out a giant blob, throws the bottle to the ground and massages the soap into her hair, scratching into her skin to help get the smell out. She lathers it down her head, to the tips of her hair, before sticking her head back into the water, repeating the process but without the shampoo.

She shuts off the water, and steps out of the tub, grabbing a fluffy white towel from the counter of her bathroom. She shivers as the cold touches her wet flesh, and she glances at the bloody and wet clothes in the tub. What was she going to do with them? She had to keep it a secret, she couldn't let anyone know, not even Master Goliean. He would be disappointed in her because she lost so much control, she was sure of this. If there was one thing she couldn't live with, it was her adoptive father and master's disappointment. She sighs, and decides to deal with the clothing when she got fully changed.

On her way out, Lucy makes eye contact with the ruby necklace. She stares at it, before slowly moving towards it. She touches it delicately, as if afraid if she added extra pressure, the rubies would break into a million pieces. Another sob hits her, but it is dry, Lucy lacking the water in her body to produce tears, "M-mama? I am so, so sorry! I-it seems that I have killed over your favorite necklace…I thought you were buried with it…I-I'm so sorry, mama! Please forgive me!" She whispers to the necklace, before she reaches down and kisses it lightly. She snatches it from the counter and opens the door to her bathroom, marching out, stone cold.

Lucy coughs as she walks out, throat hoarse from the vomiting and sobbing. She walks over to her dresser, throws off her towel and opens her underwear drawer. She grabs out a pair of frilly pink ones, not really paying attention to what she was doing, and puts them on, along with a black bra, not caring if they matched or not. She reaches into her shirt drawer, and pulls out a long sleeved green turtle neck that hugged her curves and showed off her slender neck and busy bosom, and throws it on. She repeats the process with a pair of long skinny jeans, which also complimented her feminine appearance. She sighs again, clenching her teeth together as she slides her pants drawer shut. She peers down at the ruby necklace, and finds her eyes narrowing into hate filled slits, and she growls, at herself and the necklace. She opens up her sock drawer, grabs a sock, shoves the priceless necklace inside, and shoves it into the far back, losing it in the multitude of socks. She pants heavily for some reason, feeling self-resentment pile up inside her, _I-I killed another person! Another human being! I've killed two people…three if you count that corpse raiser Cj…Who did I kill this time? Who is my newest victim? I guess I'll figure out today when they find the body…wait… _Her mind conjures up a picture of the old man who ran the jewelry store; the one she believed stole her mother's necklace. Her eyes go wide, and a cool sweat breaks across her pale skin, "H-him…? No, please…no…be didn't deserve to, not like that dark mage and corpse raiser!" She mutters into her hands, and she feels the sobs coming again. Refusing to go out into the guild looking like a mess, she stops herself, and stares into her large mirror that was hung up above her dresser. She practices smiling, grinning, laughing until it hurt her face, speaking out normal greetings and answers to the point of perfection. She could not look guilty, she could not sound guilty. She would not look guilty, she _will not_ sound guilty, and she will be perfectly fine, just keeping up the charade like always. _Forget about the old man, and everything with be A-Okay! _A gnarled place inside of her whispers sweetly, and she finds herself grinning softly, "Y-you're right…" She said softly, before turning away from the mirror, "You are normal. You are a thief, murdering old shopkeepers is normal…you're normal, Lucy, you're normal. Just trick them like you always do, like you have been doing, and everything with be alright…"

The Celestial mage smiles at herself in the mirror, feeling hollow inside, before she goes back into the bathroom, debating on what to do with the wet and bloody clothing resting on the floor of her bathtub as she went. She thinks for a moment, before coming to a conclusion and swooping into the wet tub, picking up a towel on her way to use to pick up the clothes and washcloth. She wraps the bloody bundle into the towel, letting nothing peek through. She gags at the coppery scent that came from the clothing, and walks out of the bathroom and turns to face her…open window? When was it opened? It wasn't opened last night when she went to bed after practice with Natsu…then a thought clicked in her head, "Ah, must have snuck out through that last night…" She smiles softly as a plan forms in her diseased mind, and she moves over to the window.

Lucy slips through the window, landing on the hard ground with ease. She sighs softly and walks away from the window and her room, clutching the bundle to her bust chest, eyes on the path in front of her, following the path into the woods behind the large Fairy Tail guild building.

OoOoOoO

Natsu glances around, onyx eyes narrowing slightly, "Hm…"

Mirajane looks at him curiously, "Is something wrong, Natsu?"

Natsu looks at Mirajane, and frowns worriedly, "Lucy hasn't come out of her room yet. She always comes out of her room by now…" His onyx eyes darken and he stands up from the bar, turning towards the dormitory hallway, "I'm gonna go see if she's alright."

A soft hand on his arm stops him. Natsu turns, confused, to be looking at a smiling Mirajane, "Ever think she could be tired from your practicing last night? After all, you didn't even let her have one break!"

Natsu's brow furrows, before he peers back over at the hallway. He slowly sits back down on a bar stool as Mirajane takes her hand off his tanned arm, "No…I never thought of that…"

Mirajane smiles, "She'll come out when she's ready, Natsu, don't worry. Unless….you _liiiike _her?" A devil smirk comes to her Angel face as she rolls her tongue.

Natsu's face goes red, "W-what? No!"

Mirajane's smirk broadens, "So he does know what I mean…" She whispers to herself, before addressing Natsu, "Sure you don't. I wouldn't be confused for very long, Natsu, a woman like Lucy will be taken right from under you by another man who is worth her time."

The fire DragonSlayer raises an eyebrow and cocks his head to the side, confused, "But I'm not on top of her, Mira!"

Mirajane sweat drops, "It's a figure of speech, Natsu."

"Ohhhh~!" Natsu says, before he catches on to something, and his onyx eyes do dark, a scowl set upon his face, "And what do you mean by 'another man worth her time'? No man alive will ever be worthy of Lucy's time." He growls out, clenching his fists.

Mirajane notices this, and the devil smile returns, "Oh, Natsu, feeling jealous of this fictional man?"

Surprising the Take Over mage, he doesn't answer, but instead looks over at the hallway, a dark look on his ruggedly handsome face. Mirajane looks at him, before whispering, "…is Lucy really that special to you, Natsu?"

Natsu takes a while to answer, but when he does, his voice is soft and sorrowful, "I-I'm not…replacing her right? I'm not replacing her with Lucy?"

Mirajane softly smiles, "Lisanna wouldn't want you to be alone forever."

Natsu glances at her, "But it feels as if I'm replacing her…Lucy is so much like her, yet so different too…"

"I know, honey, I know…Lisanna will understand if you do let Lucy in." Mirajane pats his head and smiles softly, even though she was feeling so much pain inside at the mention of her late sister's name, "And you should, Lucy is an amazing woman, and she seems to like you a lot."

Natsu glances at her again, before a tiny smile comes to his face, "Y-you're right, Mira…I can't run forever…I just wish I had longer…like you said, Lucy is a great woman, and any person would be lucky to be her best friend." A small blush creeps across his cheeks, making Mirajane smile some more, "But I'm not sure if I had what it takes to make her happy…"

Mirajane scoffs and says, "Natsu, you already are her best friend."

Natsu looks at the ground, before saying, "Y-you're right…It's just…Lisanna…"

"Natsu, Lisanna wasn't a jealous type of girl. She would want you to be happy."

Natsu twiddles his fingers together, staring at the floor again, "R-really?"

Mirajane nods, "Yeah."

Natsu nods and beams, "I hope she does…and Lucy could never replace Lisanna, nothing could, but that doesn't mean Luce can't be my best friend and team partner!"

Mirajane's smile broadens, "Smart boy. Lucy will always be there for you, Natsu! I can tell by the way she looks at you." Inwardly, the older woman sweat drops at just how dense Natsu was when it came to…_romantic feelings_. "Remember, practice is in two hours, so if Lucy isn't up by then, wake her up."

Natsu nods and leans against the bar as Mirajane walks away, smiling softly to himself, _I'm so happy Lucy came here…I hope she never leaves._

OoOoOoO

Lucy climbs back through her window, dirt racing up her arms and imbedded in her nails, "Fuck, I just cleaned my arms…" She sighs and closes her window, locking it up tight. She walks over to her bathroom, and turns on the light, walking over to her sink. She turns on the water and furiously scrubs at her arms, watching as the filth turns the water brown and drains into the pipes below. After the deed is done, she turns off the water, grabs a hand towel and dries off her arms until not a single drop of water remains. She puts the towel back on the golden painted hook that was nailed into her wall, and walks out of her bathroom, shoving her hands into her pants pockets. _Good thing it rained yesterday, or the ground would have been too hard to dig a hole in without a shovel…_Her mind wanders back to the bush beneath a large oak tree about a mile into the woods outside of the Fairy Tail building, and she scowls, "The sooner I forget, the better…" But she knew, deep inside, that she will never forget the old man, or what she has done.

She still had the necklace to remind her, didn't she?

On her way to the door of her room, she grabs her amulets, throws them over her head, and her keys, and she hooks them to her belt loop. She approaches the door to her room, grabbing the doorknob cautiously. She slowly opens the door, as if expecting a salmon haired freak and his cat to pop out of nowhere and terrorize her. Seeing no one, she sighs and walks out, closing the door behind her slowly. Taking a deep breath, she steels herself, putting on the smile she practiced so much, and walks down the hallway, heading towards the guild hall.

Once she enters, her doe-eyes search for one person, surprising herself. Her eyes land on Natsu, who was staring off into space, looking as if he were thinking deeply. Lucy raises an eyebrow and walks over, licking her slightly chapped lips. Even when she approaches him, he doesn't look up. Raising a blonde eyebrow, she coughs and says, "Hey, Natsu!"

Natsu snaps out of whatever trance he was in and focuses on her with those dark onyx eyes of his. A big, toothy grin comes to his face and he throws his arms around her, crushing her into his chest, "Luce! I was worried about you!"

Lucy squeaks and blushes darkly, hoping that he couldn't see her face, "N-Natsu! Let go of me!"

Natsu sighs and lets go, "Fine, Luce…what do you wanna do today?" He gestures for her to sit down next to him at the bar. She complies and smiles at him.

"I don't know…"

"We have practice in two hours." Natsu beams at her, and Lucy can't help but notice the warm trusting gaze he had when he looked at her. He was so open and trusting towards her, even though they just met a few weeks ago. It blew Lucy's mind, how could someone trust another so easily? It took Lucy herself weeks to trust Master Goliean, and even know she had a small voice in her that told her never to fully trust him, especially with her life. She shakes her head slightly, and sighs, feeling guilt pour into her stomach like molten lava, _Don't fall to pieces right in front of the enemy, girl….save that for later. _Reluctantly, she silently agrees with the voice.

She smiles softly at Natsu, "Okay. What do you wanna do until then?"

Natsu shrugs, "I don't know-"

"Oi! Flame Brain!" A gruff voice calls out. Lucy turns to see a _butt naked Gray_ standing three feet away from them, fists on his hips.

Natsu scowls and calls out "Get some clothes on, pervy icicle!"

Lucy giggles softly, making Natsu beam at her. Gray scoffs and looks down, "Gah! How in the fuck?!" Pants are thrown to Gray from a blushing Juvia. The ice mage nods his thanks in her direction, before throwing on his pants. He smirks at Natsu.

"You want to go, pencil dick?!"

"Hell yeah, asshole!"

Natsu launches himself at Gray, and the two were instantly thrown into their own little battle. Lucy smiles softly, before turning towards the bar and Mirajane, who smiles at Lucy softly, "Hello, Lucy-san!"

"Hey, Mirajane-sama! I was wondering if I could have another hot chocolate." Lucy inquires, flashing her puppy eyes at the older woman.

Mirajane smiles at Lucy and says, "Of course! Coming right u-"

Suddenly, the doors burst open, revealing a panting Levy, tears streaming down her face. In an instant, Lucy is up, and heading towards the girl, concern written across her face. Gajeel, the iron DragonSlayer, did the same, except he looked angrier. Lucy stops in front of the younger girl, "Levy-chan! Are you okay?"

Levy looks up at Lucy, shaking violently, sweat dripping down her face, "L-Lu-chan…"

Gajeel comes up beside Levy and with surprising gentleness, touches Levy's head and strokes it comfortingly, "What's wrong, Levy?" His voice is beyond worried, and he looked as pale as she was.

Levy looks at Gajeel, "Ga-Gajeel…There w-w-was b-b-b-blood…._everywhere_!" Levy's brown eyes roll into the back of her head as she falls back, blacking out. Gajeel immediately catches her with ease, holding the Script mage close, not caring who saw.

**OoOoOoO**

**There you have it! Criminal P. 2! The next chapter isn't gonna be a part of this two chapter mini plot, but it does have a horrified Levy, a worried Gajeel, a guilty and scared Lucy, and an angry Natsu in it! Haven't decided what to call it yet….Anywho, I hoped you all enjoyed this chapter and the dense Natsu part XD**

**PARADISE.x**

**P.S. policy still in action ;)**


	17. Nervous

**Hey-o, everybody! GASP! Now, just what did Levy see? Hm…very peculiar indeed~! Guess you all will just have to read to find out~**

**WAHOO~! When I took a Soul Eater quiz online- for all of you who don't know what Soul Eater is, look it up. Can either be the best thing that's happened to you (other than Fairy Tail and a naked Gray…*drool*) or the creepiest. You're choice. READ THE MANGA, THAN WATCH ANIME. Anime stops, manga keeps on going.- you know, those personality quizzes, and I got BLACK*STAR! I'm so happy! I wanna be a god like you, Black*Star! YAHOO!**

**Anywho, enjoy this chapter~!**

**OoOoOoO**

Lucy grabs onto the bar for dear life, counting her blessings and whispering her prayers. She ignores the calls from the floor 15 feet below, and continues to hold on tightly to the bar suspended above the hard ground. She shuts her brown eyes tight, _God, if you let me live, I'll never steal again! _She screams in her mind, but she can feel her grip slipping, "Oh, God, please no~!"

"Luce! Just let go! I'll catch you, c'mon, you've done this before!" Natsu yells at her from the ground, getting impatient with his partner. He was currently on the floor, staring up in amusement at the girl suspended on the acrobatic ropes high above the floor of the Circus de Fairy Tail circus tent, "Lucy! You did this yesterday! Come on!"

"B-but, Natsu! I-I can't do it! Why is this part of our act?!" Lucy whines, glancing down at him. Her arms were on fire, and they felt as if they were going to be ripped from their sockets. She pants for breath, fighting through the pain and sickening fear, "Natsu, I'm about to slip!"

Natsu barks out a laugh, "Good! Then you'll see that I'll always catch you! C'mon, Luce, you know that I wouldn't let you get hurt!"

Moved by his words, Lucy takes a gulp of air, and calls out, "O-okay…I-I'm gonna let go!" She barely hears Natsu's call of approval, before she slowly lets go of the metal bar. Immediately she drops like a rock, screaming as she went. The wind rushes around her, and she curves like she was taught to do, bending into a form that would be easy to catch and hold bridal style. She screeches again as long and tanned arms curve around her, crushing her to a well-toned chest. His face comes down close to her's, as rehearsed, and he dips her down. Natsu's large hand is on her thigh, lifting her leg up. His grip is strong, searing across her skin, and the lightning bolts of sexual tension hits her gut, almost making her squirm, _W-what's wrong with me?!_ She thought, blushing fiercely. Her own right hand touches his arm lightly, the other going to the back of his neck, pulling him closer.

Mirajane had said the mood of their performance was going to be sexy, romantic even, so this closeness was a part of the act. _Just an act…_Lucy can't help but scoff inwardly at the three words, realizing just how much they described her life now-a-days. Their faces got close, _very close_, just stopping where their lips almost touch. Lucy's face goes scarlet like Erza's hair but she doesn't say anything, just holds onto Natsu as if he was her lover. They stay like this for many moments, before a loud and dominating voice calls out,

"CUT! Very good, Natsu, you did it perfectly!" Erza booms, beaming at Natsu. The fire DragonSlayer smirks and helps Lucy up, they stand side by side as the Titania approaches them, "Lucy, on the other hand…" Erza glares at Lucy, and said blonde mage gulps and inches behind Natsu, "...if you freeze up like that during the real thing, how do you think that will look towards our customers?! For one thing, they will think you weak, which will escalate into them thinking that our entire guild is weak, and then the rumors will reach Dark Guild ears, and then we will have wars on our hands! Not to mention, the customers will demand for a refund, _and we really need money_!" The scarlet haired beauty finally takes a breath, ending her dramatic speech.

Lucy stares in disbelief at Erza, "All of that could happen from me just freezing up for a moment?"

Natsu scowls, "Lucy, you were up there for almost 15 minutes…how'd you even stay up there that long?!"

Lucy shrugs, "I tend to be able to do extraordinary things when scared, ha-ha~!" She laughs nervously, rubbing her sore arms and shoulders, "S-so don't freeze up? Got it."

Natsu turns and grabs her shoulders, ignoring her slight groan of discomfort, "Luce~! You know I'll always catch you! Stop being a scardey-cat." He smiles brightly at her, so brightly that she has no choice but to smile back. He pats her head and steps back, "Good, let's do it again!"

Lucy edges away, "I-I have to go check up on Levy. I'll be right back." She slips out of the tent before either Erza or Natsu could say anything.

Natsu looks at Erza as she says, "Natsu, why does Lucy look…nervous?"

Natsu cocks his head, "Well, she did just fall from a 15 foot height…."

She shakes her head, "No, no, it has nothing to do with that…she looked nervous when she said she needed to check on Levy."

He shrugs, stretching his arms and legs, "Well, she's probably worried about her, is all! The two did hit it off and they have been hanging out a lot…" Natsu pouts, "She's been hanging out with Levy more than me!"

Erza smiles softly at her friend's antics, "Don't worry, Natsu, no one could take your place in Lucy's heart."

The fire DragonSlayer smiles broadly, "Hai!"

OoOoOoO

Her stomach churns nervously as she walks towards the infirmary. What had Levy seen? Had she seen the clothes Lucy buried in the woods? Or worse…had she seen the actual deed? The thought of being found out dug up memories of the dreams she used to have, the ones where members of Fairy Tail would take turns beating her face in…the ones where Natsu burned her alive. She shivers in fear at the thought, and fights hard to keep back images of Natsu with his face set in a hateful and furious scowl, fists ignited, and saying in a growling voice, _"You dare come here and trick me into believing you cared about me? You dare plot to take our fortune and assassinate our master?! I'm going to fucking rip you limp from limp!"_ She shivers again, feeling nervous bile rise in her throat, but also a burning feeling of resentment.

The dark scowl comes to her face quicker than a jack rabbit running from a pack of coyotes, and her brown eyes narrow into slits. Her petite hands clench dangerously, imagining her fists beating into Levy's small face, _that bitch better pray she doesn't remember a thing…_ a gnarled place inside of Lucy whispers threateningly, and Lucy finds herself chuckling softly. Horror births inside of her, and she stumbles into the wall, clenching her fists again. Her face goes from a scowl to a look of horrified sadness, _what am I turning into? I cannot hurt an innocent…_

_Ha-ha, you've done it before…_That place inside of her whispers, and she clenches her teeth, "Shut up!" _You killed that old man with your bare hands, what's stopping you from killing the Script Mage? _"Well, for one, it's Levy-chan, I could never hurt her…and two, it's just plain stupid. They'll suspect someone who could get in there and out, and eventually they'll come to me." The voice inside her has no rebuttal to Lucy's snide comment and logical thinking.

Excellent.

Continuing down the hallway again, Lucy clenches her teeth, praying she didn't look as nervous as she felt. She forces on the smile she wore so well as she approaches the infirmary door, and knocks softly. The door opens and shows a tired looking Gajeel, who smirks softly when his crimson eyes land on Lucy, "Oh, hey Bunny girl. Come to check on Levy?"

Lucy nods and forces her smile to look genuine, "Mhmmhm! Is she doing alright?"

Gajeel nods and lets the blonde girl in, going back to sit down by a bed. Sleeping on the bed was a healthier looking Levy, small chest moving up and down with each breath she took. Lucy's fake smile droops, dipping down into a worried and nervous frown, "A-are you sure? What caused this?"

Gajeel looks at her curiously, "Wendy says shock. Levy saw something that scared the living Hell out of her, apparently. No idea what is was thought."

Lucy bites back a sigh of relief, and touches Levy's limp hand lightly, "I pray she's gonna be alright…she said something about blood."

The iron DragonSlayer across from her nods, "Yeah…" He stares intensely at Levy's petite face, "Levy's seen blood before, so I don't understand why-"

The door to the infirmary suddenly swings open, showing a distraught Gray, who was panting heavily, "Guys, come here, _now_!"

Lucy raises an eyebrow, "Gray-san…?" Gray suddenly grabs her arm and drags her along, down the hallway and towards the main guild hall. "Gray-san! W-wait, what is going on?!"

"E-Erza wants everyone in the main hall, now." That was all he needed to say for Gajeel to get up to and follow them out, leaving a small black cat in charge of Levy. Lucy cocks an eyebrow, but dismisses it when the cat answers with an '_of course!_'. Another Exceed. Lucy tags behind Gray, noticing he still hasn't let go of her arm. She can't help but blush at his lack of a shirt, and her left eye twitches as she enters the guild hall. Erza is standing on the stage, glaring into the crowd, and Lucy gulps nervously, having a feeling of what this was about.

Gray drags her over to a table, and she sits down in a chair, noting that Gajeel and Gray sat next to her. A large hand lands on her shoulder, and Lucy yelps loudly, jumping out of her seat. She turns her head to be staring at Natsu, who was looking down at her curiously, "Luce?"

Lucy sighs in relief, "Natsu, you fucking scared me!"

Natsu chuckles, "You get scared way too easily~!"

"Shut up, Natsu." She growls playfully, before sitting back down in her chair. Natsu sits next to her, close to her, and looks up at Erza expectantly.

Erza coughs, gaining everyone's attention, "Now that everyone is here…" Her brown eyes suddenly turn fierce as she gazes out into the crowd, and her tone is determined, "I am unfortunate to announce that there has been a brutal murder in this very town."

Gasps ring out, angry cries as well. Is this the work of a serial killer? Nah, just Lucy.

Erza raises her hand to silence everyone, "And we have been called by the mayor of Magnolia to report to this crime immediately. He says he will pay us well, but jewel does not matter."

Natsu grinds his canines roughly, a dark scowl on his face, "Well, who got killed, eh?" He grips the armrests of his chair tightly, so tight his knuckles were turning white. Lucy reaches over and rests a small hand on his big one, an attempt to calm him. Natsu's onyx eyes glance down to her hand, before his own envelope her's, causing her face to go warm. He smiles softly at her, and she squeezes his hand reassuringly, smiling back. They turn back towards Erza, who was watching their affair silently.

"His name was Mr. Cillus, the Cillus Jewelry Store owner and founder. The authorities believe it was a robbery gone wrong, because there was a shot gun found at the crime scene, owned by Mr. Cillus. It was never fired, for the victim was murdered before he had a chance. The murder weapon was a single piece of glass, long enough to make an effective dagger. The suspect had stabbed Mr. Cillus 34 times before slitting his throat. It seems as if the suspect took their time in disposing of the victim, torturing him even. They also clawed Mr. Cillus's face until the man couldn't see, obviously so he couldn't aim the gun. As sick as it is, a pinkie nail was found at the scene, so it was confirmed that Mr. Cillus had fought back against his attacker. Other than that pinkie nail, there was no further evidence at the scene other than the piece of glass which was covered in both Mr. Cillus's blood and that of the culprit. After the suspect had murdered Mr. Cillus, they had taken his most prized possession, an expensive ruby necklace."

Her words hit Lucy like a ton of bricks, leaving her silently gasping for breath, _stabbed Mr. Cillus 34 times…before slitting his throat…torturing…_She almost gags on the guilt and self-disgust that creeps up her throat, threatening to suffocate her. She clenches Natsu's hand tightly, and he squeezes back, sensing her disgust but interpreting it differently. He rubs his thumb against her own and she can't help but smile softly at him, even though she felt so horrible.

She glances down at her right hand, seeing the pink bed where her pinkie nail used to be. She tucks her finger beneath her hand, making a mental note to bandage it up. She also notices the long scab across her palm, where something had dug into her skin painfully. She licks her lips slightly, imagining the glass in her hand, cutting into her skin as she stabbed the storekeeper to death, and then slitting his throat. She swallows guilt and tries her best not to show it.

"We have been ordered by the mayor and Master Marcov to assess the situation and find the culprit. Who wishes to be on the case? The pay is 56 thousand jewels for those of you who don't care for the old man's death." Erza says, gazing into the crowd and picking out people who hands shot up, "Mirajane, Jet, Droy…..Cana? Okay…and Natsu."

Lucy immediately looks at Natsu, who had his hand raised up high and a look of anger on his face. He glances at Lucy as he lowers his hand, "Remember that old guy at the jewelry store you were so interested in? That's the man that was killed…I can't believe it, killed right after we left…" He growls, and clenches Lucy's hand tightly. The blonde rubs his thumb with her own, as he had, to calm him. Apparently it worked, because he sighs and rubs his eyes with his other fingers and sits back in his chair.

"It wasn't your fault, Natsu, don't worry. We'll find the guy who did this and put him where he belongs!" Lucy says with a small smile, before she can even compensate what she had said. Natsu grins at her and nods.

"And it isn't your fault either, Luce!" Now that hit her below the belt, and she clenches her teeth, praying that she didn't look as sick and guilty as she felt. Vomit creeps up her throat again, but she manages to keep it down with her rehearsed smile.

"Thank you, Natsu."

OoOoOoO

Levy had woken up during the assembly, immediately sending Gajeel's cat (which Lucy later found out to be named 'PantherLily') to go and alert the iron beast and Lucy. The two had instantly leaped from their seats and went straight to the infirmary to check on the little blunette.

Levy smiles weakly at them as the two walk in, led by PantherLily. Gajeel sits down next to her, arms crossed, trying to look as indifferent as possible when probably on the inside he was cheering that Levy was awake, "Oi, Shrimp, you gave us all quite the scare. Explain yourself."

Lucy scowls and hits Gajeel on his arm roughly, "Gajeel-san that is not how you treat someone who just woke up from blacking out." The blonde then smiles brightly at Levy, completely genuine, "Ah, Levy-chan! You are feeling better?"

The Script mage nods, before sitting up in her bed, "Y-yeah, of course I feel fine. It was all just a surprise to me."

Gajeel leans forward in his seat, "Levy, what did you see that made you pass out like that?"

Levy looks at the beige blanket of the hospital bed and says something too soft for either mages to hear.

"Eh?" Gajeel says.

Levy twiddles with her fingers and says, "I-I don't…remember exactly…"

And just like that, the horrid churning ball of nervousness evaporated from Lucy's stomach, and she bites back a sigh of relief. Lucy moves forward some, "Levy-chan, can you tell us anything that you can possible remember?" She asks, trying to seem like the good guy.

Levy nods, and begins to think hard, clutching her head roughly. She stays like that for three long minutes before finally turning and looking at Lucy and Gajeel, "A-all I remember is that on my way home this morning from the library, I walked past some shop…a bank maybe? And screaming really loudly and dropping my books, but I cannot remember what I saw…after that I think I ran back here to report my findings but…I guess whatever I saw was too much for me." Levy scratches her head and says, "S-sorry, guys…I'm not that much of a help."

Lucy shrugs and takes Levy's small hand in her own, "That's okay, Levy-chan! All that matters is that you're alright and you didn't suffer any major injuries! You should get some rest…I wonder where Wendy-san is?" Lucy inquires, glancing about.

Gajeel shrugs, "Probably off the get medicine or bandages or something like that."

Lucy nods and turns as someone walks into the room. It was Natsu. He looks at Levy and smiles, "Hey Levy! How are you?"

Levy smiles at Natsu, "I'm doing fine, Natsu! How is you and Lu-chan's practice going? Do you have it down yet?"

Natsu glances at Lucy, who blushes darkly and rubs the back of her head nervously, "W-well Levy-chan…"

Natsu speaks up, "Everything is fine until Luce gets too scared to let go of the bars."

Levy raises an eyebrow, before giggling, "Oh, Lu-chan~! None of us would ever let you get hurt, especially under our own roof! He-he, silly Lu-chan~!"

Lucy sweat drops, "Yeah, yeah…I'm just scared of heights, you know?"

Gajeel smirks, "Scardey-cat…"

Lucy growls, "Stop making fun of me!" She stomps her foot on the ground comically and crosses her arms.

Natsu barks out a laugh and pats Lucy on the head affectionately, before saying, "C'mon, Luce, we have to continue practice."

"But aren't you on that murder case?"

Natsu shrugs, "Erza told me to continue practicing with you until further notice. She says I'll be a 'liability'…pfft, I want to find this killer as much as the next guy…"

Lucy smiles softly, "They're probably just looking at records and such, and they'll get you for more important things." She says, trying to make him feel better.

Natsu shrugs again, and looks away, "Sure, sure…now c'mon!" He grabs her hand and drags her away from Levy's bedside, towards the door.

Lucy screeches, "Gah! Natsu~! Gajeel-san, help me!"

Gajeel simply smirks, "Have fun practicing, Bunny Girl~!" He laughs, "Gihihihihihi~!"

Lucy scowls, "Gajeel-san I'll fuc-" The door slams behind her before she can complete her sentence.

OoOoOoO

Erza Scarlet marches into the office, closing the large oak door behind her. She faces the old man behind the big mahogany desk in front of a roaring fire, and bows her head, "Master, you requested me?"

Master Marcov nods, hands folded in front of his mouth, and his small eyes on her, "Come over here, child."

Erza walks over and stands at attention in front of him, "Yes, Master?"

Master Marcov puts down his hands and rests them on his desk, "How has Lucy been doing?"

"She has shown no signs of real hostility towards any of our guild mates. It is as if she is truly a part of Fairy Tail, sir."

Master Marcov clicks his tongue on the roof of his mouth and says, "With knockers like her's, I hope she changed her mind about staying loyal to Goliean…will my brother ever stop trying for the fortune? It is rather unfortunate."

The Titania nods, "Do you wish for me to warn Natsu, Master? He has grown much attached to Lucy, and I am afraid when Lucy makes her move…that he will get the short end of the stick."

"Do not. I want to see how this plays out, if Lucy will truly try to take the fortune or not…we are lucky Goliean hasn't ordered her to do something worse, like destroy the guild from the inside out!" Master Marcov jokes, and the red-head beauty nods with a small smile.

"Yes…Lucy is already a world class thief, so that requires lying, which she has shown that she is very good at. The girl seems very nice, very sweet and caring…" Erza looks off into the fire behind Master Marcov.

Master Marcov raises an eyebrow, "Are you…growing an attachment to Lucy, Erza?"

Erza rips her eyes from the fire, and to the Master of Fairy Tail, "Eh? N-no, of course not. I know perfectly well what she is, who she is, I will not be seduced by her charade."

He nods, "I see…well, as long as Lucy does not plan to do anything more than steal our fortune, then I guess we have nothing to worry about for now. Dismissed."

Erza nods, bowing her head slightly, before leaving the room, leaving Marcov to his thinking. _Hm…brother, why do you send a girl who would be prone to being merciful? How has she earned your respect, your pride? Why is she your right hand? _He leans back in his chair, crossing his small arms. He clicks his tongue on the roof of his mouth and stares at the ceiling. _I pray this doesn't get worse…._

What Master Marcov didn't know was that this was going to get far worse than anyone could ever imagine.

**OoOoOoO**

**Ooooo, nice long chapter, eh? Ha-ha~! Got a little wild at the end, but eh…**

**I hope you all liked it!**

**OH AND: READ! Because of the divorce of my parents, I go to my mom's house one week, and then my dad's the other, and so on and so forth. So every other week, I do not have access to internet. Please do not think I am dead or something like that XD So, now that I have cleared that up…**

**See you all in the next chapter!**

**PARADISE.x**

**P.S. policy still in action, my friends~!**


	18. Lissana P 1

**Yo! PARADISE.x here~! Last time, on Circus de Fairy Tail, Levy says she doesn't remember a thing! What did she see? I don't know…I'm just the author XD And Levy's predicament is so much like Lucy's after the battle with CJ…hmmmm, coincidence? Also, Natsu signed up for the group that is Hell bent on capturing Mr. Cillus's murderer? Oh, no! Lucy, what are you gonna do?!**

**I know, that was extremely cheesy…God, I love Green Day, I'm listening to their song 'Holiday'…it's about the Cold War, you know, pretty much America vs. Korea.**

**GO AMERICA!**

**Iron bull: I think that's the name for an ancient torture technique where the victim is placed in an iron bull; a fire is started underneath it. The victim is cooked like a steak. Gruesome, eh? Ha-ha~!**

***cough* anywho, onto the story! This is Circus de Fairy Tail chapter 18! (I am so amazed I made it this far. Just so you know, this is probably going to go up to 30 chapters…or more. Probably more :D)**

**OoOoOoO**

She watches carefully from the tree, concealed by large leaves and branches. She clicks her tongue softly on the fleshy roof of her wet mouth and leans back into the trunk; tiny eyes narrowing at the strain watching one window for hours caused her. The thief clenches her fists and hisses in her mind, _Damn it woman! Do you ever even go to bed?! C'mon give me one reason why you aren't fit for this job! Just one! _

A movement in the window startles the mysterious woman, and she leans forward in anticipation. Her target, Lucy Heartphilia, moves into view, laughing at something. The woman grinds her teeth in disgust; oh how she hated the woman in the window! She wishes she could just jump in there and ring her scrawny little neck, rip out those gorgeous brown eyes, watch Lucy Heartphilia's beautiful and perfect face twist into a scream of horror and pain. Oh how she wished she could do this, but, one problem. Her amazing, powerful, gorgeous Master! Oh, no, he wouldn't like her tearing his own 'daughter's head right off her shoulders, no; he had too many plans in store for Lucy Heartphilia. Plans that should have gone to the thief in the trees, plans that should have gone to the one person who adores him more than anything! She knew everything about her Master Goliean, _everything about him_, from his favorite color, to his favorite torture technique! Which, by the way, are black and the iron bull!

The thief watches as Lucy Heartphilia says something to a tall, handsome man with salmon colored hair with a blue and flying cat tagging after him. Lucy laughs to something the man said, and the man beams with pride, probably cheering on the inside at the fact that the blonde had laughed at something he said. The mysterious woman scowls darkly, turning her pretty face ugly, _Stupid little girl…getting a little too comfortable, eh? _She screeches in her mind. At least her Master Goliean had given her one job that had to do with the big Fairy Tail plot; checking up on Lucy Heartphilia, to make sure she sticks to the plan. What a lowly job to give an S-class member of Thieves' Guild! It sickened the thief to the point of being physically nauseous, and made her so furious and humiliated that it drove her to feeling murderous! She grinds her teeth again, clicking her tongue on the roof of her mouth in an almost reprimanding way, "Oh, Lucy…getting friendly with the enemy, eh?"

Lucy was yelling at the salmon haired man now, but in a friendly way, looking almost embarrassed. The man smiles nervously at Lucy and says something back, but the thief was too far away to hear their conversation, so instead, she must rely on reading their lips, for she was too cautious to move any closer.

"_No, Natsu, you can't sleep in my bed! Neither can you Happy!" _The thief read.

"_Awww~! But Luce, your bed is so comfortable!" _She picks up these lines being said in unison by the cat and the man. She quirks an eyebrow, and pays closer attention.

"_No, Natsu, Happy! Get out of my room, I want to sleep!" _Lucy's lips mouthed, and the thief moves closer.

"_Ugh…fine…but at least come and help me and Happy put up chairs in the guild hall! Mirajane 'asked' me to do it." _The man named Natsu exclaimed, grabbing onto Lucy's hand. The other girl probably squeaked as Natsu dragged her away, and the thief finds herself grinning.

Lucy Heartphilia had left her special amulets on her bed. What a foolish girl! The thief sighs at the golden opportunity, and in seconds, she is in front of Lucy's bedroom window, a sadistic, hungry grin on her average face. _Take only what you need…remember that Lucy is an S-class Thieves' Guild member too~! _Her grin turns into a dark smirk as she slides open the _unlocked_ window, sniggering at the target's arrogance that no one would dare sneak into her room. She sneaks in quickly and silently, like she was taught how, taught how by _her _Master Goliean. She approaches the bed carefully, not touching anything, being extra cautious to avoid brushing against anything. She smirks arrogantly, and runs her fingers across the soft pink fabric of the comforter of Lucy's bed, ignoring her personal rule about never touching anything at the crime scene.

The gems of the amulets shine in the light of the lamp on the nightstand next to Lucy Heartphilia's pink clad bed, and she finds herself practically drooling. She wipes at her mouth and grabs at the gems, taking a single one and leaving the rest unscathed. She gives a start when she hears approaching voices, one male, one female and the other a sweet child voice. The thief growls darkly and leaps over to the window, jumping through it and into the night, slamming the window shut behind her. She rushes to the woods that surrounded the Fairy Tail guild building, confident with her plan.

Master Goliean would be so proud of her!

OoOoOoO

Lucy walks back into her room, smiling and talking back at Natsu, who was behind her, "I'm just saying, Natsu, no one plays chess anymore so what's the point of learning? Why are you even interested in it?"

Natsu shrugs and smiles at her, "I don't know, and people so do still play it!" Even though he says this, he didn't look as confident as before. Happy smirks at Lucy and flies over to her, clutching onto her shoulder.

Lucy laughs and brings down her petite hand to pat Natsu on the head, only to have her hand caught by his own. She cocks her head, confused, "Natsu?" But Natsu wasn't looking at her; he was staring into her room. He brings up his index finger to his lips as a signal for her to stay silent and he carefully walks into her room, letting go of her hand. He sniffs the air gently as he goes to the center of her room, onyx eyes narrowing dangerously. Lucy follows him in, clutching herself and staring at one thing; the drawer where she hid her mother's necklace. She licks her now dry lips and glances at Natsu, moving towards her drawer little by little. Happy was looking curiously at Natsu, but stayed quiet.

Moments pass with Natsu sniffing the air and looking around, before he finally says, "Me and Happy really should sleep in here."

Lucy quirks an eyebrow and says, "You got me worked up just for that?"

Natsu shakes his head, "Someone was in here. Someone who isn't in the guild."

Lucy gasps slightly, clenching her fists and glancing around worriedly, "Are you serious?"

Natsu nods, before looking at her, "I would feel much better if you let Happy and I sleep in here with you…" He looks away, crossing his arms across his tan chest.

Happy smirks and reaches up to whisper in Lucy's ear, "Natsu reeeeally cares about you…you should let us sleep in here to make sure you're safe."

Lucy can't help but blush fiercely, and she looks away from the two of them, "Fine, you can sleep in my room, but you are sleeping on the-"

She is cut off by Natsu's cheer and he jumps into her bed, burrowing under the covers. He moves to the far left, leaving plenty of room for Lucy, "You can sleep there, Luce!" He points to the given space.

Lucy scowls before finishing her sentence, "-you are sleeping on the floor."

Natsu looks down sadly, "But…Lucy…" He suddenly looks up to stare into her eyes, a small pout on his handsome face, "Please?"

Lucy gulps and looks away, knowing that if she stared into his eyes, she would give in, "N-no, Natsu. That's final."

"_Pleasssseeeeee _Lucy?"

Lucy glances at him, before sighing and giving in, "Fine. But you stay to your side and I swear to God if you steal the blanket and/or kick me, I will kill you slowly." She turns away and heads over to the bathroom, glancing down at Happy, "Happy, I'm going to change, so stay out here with Natsu." The little blue cat nods and flies over to Natsu. On her way to the bathroom, she stops by her dresser, grabbing a pair of blue sweatpants and a red tank top. She slips into the bathroom to quickly get changed.

When she walks out, Natsu was already fast asleep, snoring away. Lucy rolls her brown eyes and walks over, clicking her tongue on the roof of her mouth. She glances at the amulets on her bed, looks back at Natsu, before double taking to the amulets again. She does a quick count in her head, small smile flattening into a thin line.

One of her amulets was missing.

She quickly grabs them and puts them under her pillow, mouth dipping into a small frown. She pulls back the covers and slips in, deep in thought, _hmm…who has taken my Take Over amulet? I guess we'll find out soon. _

OoOoOoO

Lucy groans as she wakes up, eyes slowly opening. She hears a snigger, then a giggle, and her brown eyes widen as they land on Happy and Mirajane. Mirajane giggles and swoons while Happy sniggers uncontrollably. Lucy quirks an eyebrow, "Mirajane-sama…Happy…what…?" She tries to move, but finds that she cannot. Her eyes go as wide as dinner plates, "What?" It is then she becomes painfully aware of a heat slung across her petite waist, and more heat pressed against her back. She slowly turns her head to be staring directly into Natsu's sleeping face, and she squeals loudly, "N-Natsu!" She looks down at her waist to see his arm tightly wound around her, pressing her into him. She squeaks and looks back over at Happy and Mirajane, "Help me!"

Mirajane simply smirks devilishly and says, "Aw, you two are so adorable together! When's the wedding?"

Lucy is mortified and her face goes as red as a tomato, "M-Mirajane-sama, don't say that~!"

Happy smiles, laughing slightly, "Can I be the best man? I bet Natsu will let me~!"

Lucy squeals again as Natsu grunts in his sleep and tightens his grip on her, "H-Happy! I'll get you! You too, Mirajane-sama! T-this is N-Natsu's fault!"

Mirajane laughs, "Oh, look, she can't even say Natsu's name without blushing~! You're so cute, Lucy-chan!"

Happy smirks, "I bet Natsu thinks so too…"

Lucy blushes and squeaks, "J-just get him off me! I mean it, guys! I am so not waiting until he wakes up and finds us like this!"

Mirajane cocks her head, "Maybe if he wakes up and you're in his arms…" The devil smirk returns, "…he'll tell you he likes you~!"

Lucy growls, "But he doesn't like me-"

There is shuffling behind her, and Natsu begins to move, "E-eh? Wha…?" Lucy freezes in his arms, petrified, "Oh…good morning, Luce!" Natsu says cheerfully in her ear, his hot breath blowing across her bare skin. She feels a pleasurable shudder run through her, but she holds it back.

Mirajane giggles and backs out of Lucy's room, "I'll just leave you two alone then…Happy, come on~"

Happy pouts, "But I wanna see them make babies!"

Mirajane giggles again and says, "Just come on, I have some fish for you!"

Happy smiles and flies after her, forgetting about poor Lucy. The blonde squeaks and says, "N-Natsu, let go of me."

She feels something bury itself into her neck, and she realizes it was Natsu's nose, "Nah." He says, "I'm too comfortable…and you're really warm, Luce…." He whispers into her back, his lips teasing her skin as they move to shape the words.

Lucy gulps, "B-but, Natsu…we have practice in an hour an-and I have to get ready…and I have to eat…I'm hungry and I know you are too." She stutters, trying to come up with excuses.

But Natsu doesn't move, "Eh, I'm too tired…you're so warm…good night, Luce." He snuggles deeper into her, tightening his big arms around her.

"Natsu~!" Lucy squeals loudly, shooting back her elbow into his gut. Natsu grunts and loosens his hold on her, starting to complain about how that hurt. She slips from his arms and off of the bed, running to the center of her room, "Natsu, get out of my bed, loser."

Natsu whines, "No~! Your bed is too comfortable." He snuggles into the sheets and hugs one of her pillows, smiling into the pillow.

Lucy scowls, "C'mon, Natsu!" A sudden idea comes to her, and she slowly begins to walk away, a slow smirk on her face, "I guess I'll just go to practice without you…and tell Erza why you're not there."

Natsu shoots up from her bed and runs past her to the door, "See you at practice, Luce!" Lucy smirks as he disappears, _Thank God above for Erza Scarlet. _She thought to herself as she walks over to her dresser to gather clothing for the day. She pulls out a short blue skirt and a blue and white tight shirt, along with black matching bra and panties. She pulls the garments on, and then walks over to her night stand, grabbing her amulets and putting them over her head. Her eyes narrow dangerously as she thinks about her missing Take Over amulet, _hmm…can't wait to see who has taken your amulet, eh? _A dark voice whispers in her head, and she finds herself nodding in agreement, _can't wait to gouge their eyes out and burn their carcass…? _The dark voice calmly asks, and Lucy could practically hear the smirk in its transgender voice. She shakes her head in horror, "N-no, I just want to know who it is…shut up!" She angrily whispers, before running out of her room, hating the sound of the voice chuckling.

Lucy rushes down the hallway, clutching her arms and shivering slightly. As she walks into the guild hall, she glances around, before heading over towards the hallway that leads to the infirmary where Levy was in. She begins to skip down the hallway, mood changing with the thought of talking to her _temporary _friend. Along the way, she stops at the door to the library, deciding to be nice and bring Levy a book. She peers in through the door first, glancing around to see if anyone was there, and as usual, no one wasn't. She walks in, humming to herself merrily as she takes in the familiar scent of ink and paper, and she begins to skip over to the fantasy section, hoping to find something interesting for the young girl.

She looks across the shelf, muttering the tittles to herself and shaking her head at them. None of these looked interesting! She sighs grumpily and turns away, giving up on her search. She glances over at a table, to see a book lying alone on its surface. Curious, the blonde Celestial mage walks over, quirky a slim eyebrow and frowning softly. When she approaches it, she reads the tittle, _FAIRY TAIL PHOTO ALBUM_. A small smirk comes to her lips, and she chuckles softly, _perhaps this could give me some much needed information… _She thought to herself as she opens the album, and begins to flip through the pages. There are many pictures of young children, and she finds herself 'awwww'ing and giggling at the cuteness of it all. She flips the page she was on- which showed a picture of a cute brown haired girl in a yellow dress-to be staring straight into the eyes a pretty young woman with short white hair and gorgeous blue eyes. Lucy smiles softly, "Wow, she's really pretty! I wonder who she is…" She glances down at the tittle to see, _LISSANA STRAUSS; R.I.P_. Lucy stares at it, before tears pop into her eyes, "P-poor girl…she looks so young…" She quickly wipes at her eyes and closes the book, deciding to ask Levy about Lissana.

Lucy closes the library door after her and turns left, heading down the hallway that led to the infirmary. She glances down at the photo album, and feels a pang of guilt in her lower stomach. These people…they were all innocent, right? They didn't do anything to Thieves' Guild…right? Lucy shakes her head to clear the thoughts away, and she plasters on a smile just for Levy as she approaches the infirmary door. She knocks slightly, before pushing it open, face brightening when her doe eyes land on Levy sitting with Pantherlily, "Hey, Levy-chan!" Lucy exclaims, walking in.

Levy looks up at her a smiles, "Hello, Lu-chan! How are you?" She looks much better, her color was returning, and her big brown eyes no longer dull.

Lucy smiles hugely, "I'm doing fine, Levy-chan! How are you feeling? Everything okay, right?" She asks, concerned.

Levy nods and waves her concern away, "Yeah, I'm fine. Do you know how many times I've heard that from Gajeel and Pantherlily alone? Gosh, I'm not entirely weak, ya' know!"

Pantherlily decides to speak up, "Of course you're not, Levy. We just want to make sure Gajeel's favorite little Script mage is okay." He has a devil smirk, glancing at Lucy.

Lucy smirks deviously as Levy blushes fiercely, "W-what? I-I don't know what you are talkin' about!"

Lucy laughs but decides to let it go, "Anyway, no more teasing Levy-chan, she's sick enough as it is." She giggles and sits down next to Panterlily, and she sets the album on her lap. She looks up at Levy, who was staring at the book, "Hey, Levy-chan, I found this in the library, and I wanted to ask who someone was."

Levy nods and looks at her, "Ah, okay."

Lucy opens the album and flips to the page with the girl Lissana Strauss on it, and she holds it up to show Levy. Instantly, tears come to the young maiden's eyes, and she says softly, "That's Lisanna-chan…oh she was such a good mage, powerful and so sweet…you remind me of her, Lu-chan. She was as sweet as sugar…"

Lucy cocks her head, "I-I don't know if I deserve to be put in the same category as her…she sounds like an amazing girl. What connection did you have with her?"

"She was like a sister to me, always perked me up when I was down." Levy says, staring at the picture. Lucy nods, but stops when Levy says, "She was partners with Natsu…when she was still alive…"

Lucy looks at Levy and says, "N-Natsu made no mention of her." She can't help but feel a ridiculous jealousy pack in her gut at the thought of Natsu going on jobs with the late woman, sneaking into her bed and snuggling against her…Lucy shakes her head, clearing the body-warming thought from her mind.

Levy nods, "He was very attached to her, it was very painful for him when Lissana died…so I can see why he wouldn't want to bring her up."

Lucy nods and looks away, "I see…I only wish I could have met her…"

Levy smiles, "She would have liked you, Lu-chan. And don't worry, Lu-chan, Natsu hasn't been so playful and active with anyone like he is with you ever since Lisanna…well, you know." Her voice cracks and she looks at the white sheets of her bed.

Lucy nods and pats Levy's leg and says, "We don't have to talk about her anymore, if you don't want to, honey."

Levy smiles at Lucy, "I rather not…I still remember seeing her body…c-c-cold and broken…" Tears fall out of her eyes in a steady stream, and Lucy reaches over to wipe them away, using the blanket to catch them. Levy smiles thankfully and says, "Let's talk about something else, yes?"

Lucy nods and smiles, "Of course, Levy-chan."

Of course, the three were unaware that a pair of cold eyes watched them through the window, and heard every word of their conversation. A slow smirk spreads across the thief's face and she chuckles, knowing exactly how to get back at Lucy Heartphilia for taking everything from her.

**OoOoOoO**

**There you have it! Sorry it took me so long, sprained my arm and couldn't type right, and I wanted this story to be the best for all of you readers :D**

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

**PARADISE.x**


	19. Lissana P 2

**Hello everyone! Last time on Circus de Fairy Tail, who is this thief that has stolen Lucy's Take Over magic amulet? Why is this 'Lissana' so important that I named a chapter after her(well, I do love Lissana, but I hate the NaLi couple)? And when is Natsu and Lucy gonna preform in the circus? That….I don't have the answer to yet….meep.**

**Anywho, how many of you have seen The Boondock Saints and The Boondock Saints 2: All Saint's Day? The Boondock Saints brothers are easily two of the hottest men alive, hands down. FUCKING SEXY THEY ARE~! Just the thought of them makes me drool -drools-….**

**I was at school, just sitting there, minding my own business and talking to my friend. I turned and yelled across the ALREADY LOUD room at my friend to get him to come and hang out with me, when this bitch next to me turned to me and was all like 'Shut. Up.' She said it all prissy like and full of malice, and I just lost it. I turned to her slowly and with the darkest look I could muster on my face I said in a low voice, "You shut the fuck up, you cold cunted bitch." And I turned away and began to talk to my friend again, ignoring the girl who was trying to get over me calling her such a bad name. I WAS SO FUCKING PISSED. Then I felt like writing some Circus de Fairy Tail XD**

**-cough- ANYWHO, onto the story!**

**OoOoOoO**

Natsu prods her in the stomach, beginning to complain once again, "But, Luce~! Just one more time! I think it's fun!" His voice is high and whiny as he prods her everywhere, trying to get the blonde's attention.

But the blonde thief wasn't taking the bait; instead she talks to Mirajane over Natsu's amazingly annoying voice, talking about useless things such as the weather and how tomorrow was the 'big night'. The 'big night' being the night Lucy and Natsu performs in the circus, and Lucy was anything but excited. Nervousness clenches her stomach as she says to Mirajane, "I-I'm kind of scared, Mirajane-sama…"

Mirajane smiles and laughs softly, "Oh, Lucy-chan-"

Natsu cuts her off, "Luce! No need to be scared!" He throws a sculpted tanned arm around the girl's petite shoulders and smirks broadly, getting in Lucy's face.

Lucy blushes slightly from his closeness and how hot his body was, "N-Natsu…" Memories of that morning rush to her brain, and she finds herself blushing harder and trying to get out of his tight hold.

But Natsu couldn't take a hint, "If you're so scared then let's practice again!" He says, bringing up what he was whining about before. He really wanted to practice their performance together, uh?

Lucy scowls darkly and pushes him away, "Natsu, we practice for _8 hours straight _with only _two breaks_! Fuck no!"

Natsu pouts and look sat the ground. Lucy stares at him, hating the sight of the DragonSlayer looking so sad. She sighs and just as she was about to apologize for yelling at him, he cuts her off by saying, "I'm sorry Luce for pushing you so hard to get everything done…I just want our act to be the greatest, you know? I want you to be proud of me a-and I thought you wanted me to be proud of you too…I'm sorry."

Lucy stares at him for a moment longer, surprised by his mature gesture to apologize first, before she says, "Natsu, I'm already proud of you. And of course I want you to be proud of me and think of me a good partner and friend."

Natsu looks up at her and says, "Not just friend, _best_ friend…right?"

Lucy's smile is soft as she looks at him gently, "Of course, Natsu. Best friends 'till the end." **[A/N: My own writing is making me cry because you all know that Lucy's identity will be revealed someday, that part is inevitable, and that just made me cry because Lucy is starting to believe it! –Sobs softly yet continues to type-] **Lucy says to him graciously. Natsu grins so brightly a wave of affection rises in her, causing her to reach out and crush him into a hug. Natsu freezes for a mere moment, before wrapping his arms around the petite blonde. Mirajane simply stares, before swooning and falling onto the ground, having fainted from the touching scene. At the sound of the white haired mage crashing on the ground, the two separate-with Natsu's hands still on Lucy's hips-and looks over in confusion. Lucy gasps, "Oh, no, Mirajane-sama!" She is about to jump over the bar counter to check if Mirajane was alright, but Natsu stops her by tightening his grip on her petite waist. The blonde looks at him in confusion while he just smirks amusedly.

"Mirajane always passes out like that, by now she's used to waking up with a head ache. No need to worry." The fire DragonSlayer says simply, before glancing down at his hands on her waist. Lucy glances down as well and blushes fiercely at the sight. She quickly shoves him away-which only got his hands off of her, and didn't move _him_ at all-and turns in her seat, refusing to look at the confused man. Natsu scratches his head, before saying, "Luce, you're weird."

Lucy growls, "I'm not weird! Bitch, I'm limited edition!"

Natsu blinks for a second, before busting out laughing at what she had said. He falls to the floor in his fit of laughter, and rolls across ground. Lucy stares at him, before a tiny smile spreads across her face, then a smirk, then a full-fledged grin. She begins to laugh along with him, her musical laughter bubbling from her chest and out her red tinted lips. Other guild members stare at the two as their laughter joined together, sweet meeting gruff in a crescendo. One tall girl walks over, and Lucy looks at her, taking her gorgeous azure hair and warm yet dull eyes to match. She looked as if she were a Russian and Hispanic mix, with her tan skin yet sharp features. She was wearing blue and white, and her dress had a slit in the side running up her thigh showing a blue Fairy Tail insignia on her left leg. Juvia Loxar or 'Rain Woman' as she was called in the Circus. Lucy smiles kindly at the confused looking rain mage and says, "Oh, hello Juvia-san."

Juvia looks at her for a moment, before smiling back at her, "Greetings, Lucy-san. I don't believe we've official met one another." She holds out a white gloved clad hand for Lucy to shake, "Juvia Loxar, Rain mage."

Lucy shakes her hand and giggles softly, "I'm Lucy Heartphilia, Celestial mage."

Juvia's smile broadens, and Lucy finds herself thinking how pretty the rain woman was, but not in a lesbian way, "You're a Celestial mage? May you show me, Juvia has never seen a Celestial mage's magic before."

_Why does she speak like that? In third person…._Lucy brushes it off, and decides not to hold it against Juvia. She nods, "Sure!" She reaches to her belt loop and grabs a single key off her ring of keys. She gestures for Juvia to back up, and she complies, shuffling back a few steps. Lucy smiles and says in a hearty tone, "Open, Gate of the Dog, Nicolai~!" She thrusts her hand forward and turns the key. The key glows and suddenly a small figure appears; a little white thing with a cute carrot like nose and big black eyes. It smiles and waves at Juvia, who immediately starts swooning over it.

The rain woman scoops the dog-like-thing in her long skinny arms and cuddles it, "Awww~! Juvia thinks that this creature is adorable!"

Lucy giggles as Natsu heaves himself off the ground, done laughing. He smiles at Juvia and says, "Oh, hey Juvia-chan! How's it go-"

"HEY FLAME BRAIN!" A sudden yell rings out, and immediately Natsu is snarling at an approaching figure. It was Gray, who was smirking, "Let's fight!"

Natsu growls, "What did you say, ice prick?" He drives his large fist into his other palm, onyx eyes narrowing dangerously at Gray.

Gray smirks and barks out, "You heard me, pencil dick, now let's fight!"

Natsu is quick to answer the challenge, "BRING IT ON, FUCKIN' STRIPPER!" He screeches, before leaping at Gray, and immediately their fight begins, leaving Juvia, Lucy and the dog creature all alone at the bar. Juvia turns to Lucy and snuggles the creature some more.

"What is this creature's name?" Juvia inquires.

"Plue, that's what I named him." Lucy answers, scratching Plue's big head. Plue shivers in delight and smiles hugely at Lucy.

Juvia smiles, "Awww, what a cute name for such an adorable creature!"

For about 30 minutes the two women talk about mundane things such as the weather and how their lives were going, until Juvia brought up the topic of her 'precious Gray-sama', "Oh, Juvia is very thrilled to be presenting in the Circus with Gray-sama! Just like Natsu-san and yourself, Juvia and Gray-sama will be doing a two person performance! Juvia cannot wait."

Lucy smiles, "Gray-'sama'? Is he really great enough for you to call him that?"

Immediately, it is as if Juvia was a whole other person. Her easy going smile curves into a demonic scowl, and she growls out ferociously, "Are you disrespecting my Gray-sama?"

Lucy furiously shakes her head in fear of the angered rain mage, "O-of course not, Juvia-san! I-I think Gray-san is g-great (I guess…)!"

Amazingly, this only gets Juvia angrier, "D-do you have feelings for my Gray-sama?!"

Lucy leaps up from her bar stool and shakes her head, almost giving herself whiplash, "N-no, Juvia-san! I-I have no f-feelings for Gray-san!"

Juvia looks at her for a moment longer, before her smile returns and she says in her normal sweet voice, "Good! Juvia does not want a love rival!" A sudden thought comes to her, "Oh! Silly Juvia, there is no way Lucy-san could have feelings for Gray-sama, she is too caught up in having feelings for Natsu-san, of course~!"

Lucy blushes and sputters, "W-what?! I-I don't l-like Natsu at all! W-we are just friends, partners, best friends! W-why would I have feelings for a dense idiot like him, eh?"

Juvia giggles and says, "Oh, Lucy-san, Juvia does not know how to break this to you, but it is obviously that you two like each other."

"Eh? What is this about Natsu and Lucy hookin' up?" A gruff voice says, and over comes Cana with her large barrel of liquor. She takes a seat next to Lucy, effectively blocking an exit.

Lucy was about to set her straight, but Juvia cuts her off, "Lucy-san and Natsu-san obviously like one another, but they're both far too dense for their own good!"

Cana smirks and leans in, showering Lucy with alcohol laced breath, "Oh reaaaaally, Lucy?" She says, rolling her tongue.

Lucy blushes even harder; _I've got to get out of here! _"I-I w-we…uh…Natsu doesn't like me a-and that's h-how it is!"

Both women nod, as if understanding, when truthfully they were still misunderstanding, "Ah," Cana says, "so unrequited love, eh? Funny, could have sworn he had those feelings for you."

"You say it as if I asked him about it!"

Juvia squeals, "You haven't told him?! How long have you felt this way, Lucy-san?"

"W-wha-"

"I bet from the first time she laid eyes on him. But why that dense idiot, Lucy?" Cana says, "Why not someone smarter, like Gray?"

Juvia gasps and growls, "Lucy-san does not like Juvia's Gray-sama! Juvia made sure of this! Plus, Lucy-san and Natsu-san are a perfect couple! They are so adorable together!"

Lucy stutters, trying to a get a word in, "G-guys, I-"

"We must go ask him, Juvia! Let's go!" Cana gets up, "Obviously the girl is too scared to do it herself, and with Mirajane down for the count, we gotta do it ourselves." She lifts up her heavy liquor barrel and gestures for Juvia to follow. Juvia does so, leaping off her seat.

The rain woman gives Lucy a warm smile and says, "Do not worry, Lucy-san, Juvia and Cana-san will take care of this!"

Lucy shakes her head and says, "B-but Juvia-san…" But the two were already out of ear shot, heading over to the two brawling boys. Cana brings her barrel down, effectively knocking out Gray. Natsu looks surprised and begins to question the two, but one glare for Juvia sent him quiet. From where Lucy was sitting, she could see the two women talking to Natsu. Lucy feels as if she was about to throw up from embarrassment, and immediately she backs away from the room, heading towards the guild's main doors, _Gotta get away and fast! _She pushes open the doors as Natsu looks over to where she was sitting before and bolts out, throwing caution into the wind. She runs down the street, face still plagued by her embarrassed blush and a half. She cuts down an alley just next to the guild, the perfect place to hide, and leans against the wall, panting slightly and trying to get her heart to stop racing. She glances around, taking in the dirt and grime along the ground and walls. She pushes herself off the wall and just stands there, deciding to hide there for all eternity, _Oh my God, they are never gonna let me live this one down! _

_Who cares? _A voice whispers in her head, surprising her. She should have been used to it by now. She's had that little voice that told what to do in her head for a long time, ever since she was 'adopted' by Master Goliean. _Who cares if they mock you about it? It is not as if you'll be around them for long…and neither will they. _She can hear the dark smirk in its transgender voice, ad she growls.

"What are you talking about?"

_I mean, you stupid little girl, that they won't be living for much longer. Master Goliean will see to that. _Instantly her blood runs cold and she hisses, "T-That isn't a part of the mission. All I am supposed to do is-"

_Kill Master Marcov. Once that old coot is dead and gone, those little fairies won't know what to do. They'll be in a state of shocked grief, and that is the opportune moment to strike. Why do you think that Master Goliean wants you assassinate Master Marcov? Because he has some bone to pick with him? No, he wants a good opportunity. That's all you are, kid, expendable._

"Shut up. Master Goliean cares about me! He wants me by his side when he rules! You'll see!" Lucy hisses back, anger building up in her throat. Master Goliean wants her! Master Goliean sees her as a critical ally, right?! Right?! _Master Goliean wants me by his side…Master Marcov wants to kill me, that's what Master said! I-I trust Master, Master Goliean took me from that horrid mansion, took me from that life of suffocation! He wouldn't do that just to send me on a suicide mission! He wouldn't go through all the trouble of tricking me just to kill me off for the bettering of his own guild! Right?! _"Right….?" She says in a broken whisper, "Don't let Marcov trick you, don't let him think you're safe here. H-he'll just end up killing you…" A maniac grin comes to her face as the tears fall, mixing in with the drool beginning to drip down her face, "Killed or be killed, Lucy. Stay diligent, stay on top of it. Master Marcov wants to play, eh? Well, it does take two to tango~!" She touches her face, this strange feeling that she was being separated from her body rushing through her. She touches her grin, and has to force her cheeks physically to loosen, so the grin falls from her face. She clenches her teeth and wipes away the tears, _Stop it. You're sounding like Chestlie*…That insane bitch is so obsessed I bet she doesn't even know how to live without him. _ Lucy chuckles, before flinching at the sound of footsteps.

Her head snaps up and her red rimmed eyes lock on the girl walking down the street towards the Fairy Tail building, a big shit eating grin on her pretty face. Lucy raises an eyebrow; _I've seen her before…_ As the girl gets closer, Lucy's eyes widen more and more. The girl's blue eyes sparkle brightly, and her short white hair bounces as she skips, looking about as happy as a child at Christmas. Lucy gasps slightly and hides behind a trashcan as realization hit her.

That was Lissana Strauss.

Back from the dead.

_Aw, shit. This might complicate things._

**OoOoOoO**

**There you have it, folks!**

***Chestlie: That chick from the beginning who hated Lucy; the feeling's mutual of course ;D**

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I'll update as soon as I can!**

**Policy:**

**10[or less] reviews: 5 days until update**

**20 reviews: 2 days until update**

**30+ reviews: Becomes top priority3 **


	20. Lissana P 3

**Hey-o, everyone! Last time on Circus de Fairy Tail, Lissana's back? …or is she? Meanwhile, Lucy fights the voice in her head that tells her she's expendable to Master Goliean! Is the voice right? Or is it just messing with her? And tonight's the night, introducing the Salamander and the Zodiac in-**

**I'm not gonna tell you the name of their act until the time comes [and when I come up with a name ;_;] ~! And I don't even think I will have that in this chapter…if not this one then the next chapter definitely.**

**I hope you all enjoy this chapter of Circus de Fairy Tail!**

**P.S. I've decided to make an account on FictionPress, you know, the other site for non-fanfiction stories? I've written quite a few short stories and my friends all tell me I'm really good at writing, and so does every language arts teacher I've ever had, so…but first I'm going to get the copyright thing [which costs THIRTY BUCKS! Fuckin' expensive…] so no one can steal it. I know, technically you can't steal it even if you don't have the copyright thing, but people still do it and just change the character names and what they look like. It pisses me off when I see people pull stunts like that -.-**

**So, check it out! My name will probably still be PARADISE.x, but I might change it on that site…probably not though.**

**This chapter is dedicated to the AMAZING Aozora no kishi! Thanks for your sweet words!**

**OoOoOoO**

The Fairy Tail guild was in full on party mode. People were cheering, tables were flipped over, fights were breaking out, and the bar was almost all out of booze. Why was the Fairy Tail guild partying so hard-as if they need any real reason-? Because Lissana Strauss, little sister of Elfman and Mirajane Strauss, was back from the 'dead'.

Lucy smiles softly and takes a swig from her simple glass of cherry vodka, not wanting anything stronger as she looks over at the white haired girl who was talking with Natsu. Something flares in her, but she brushes it off as just the alcohol and takes another sip. She puts her elbows on the bar counter and runs a petite hand through her messy hair. It had been messed up when Natsu tried to get her in on the fun, and when she had declined, he had tried to drag her over to where everyone was hanging out. She had managed to get away with just messy hair and thankfully no ripped clothing. She suppresses a sigh of boredom as she stares at where Mirajane usually stands; ready to take anyone's order.

_God, even Mirajane-sama is off having fun…why can't I? _She asks herself, even though deep down inside, she knew why. She doesn't belong here, and especially not wasting time drinking. _Hey…this is a perfect time to figure out where they stash their jewels! And to see if there are any other escape routes…_A dark smirk graces her gorgeous features and she abruptly stands up from her bar stool, walking across the guild hall to head into the hallways that she has yet to fully explore. A beer mug comes flying her way out of the blue, and she squeals, ducking and leaping forward. She immediately comes to her feet, experience from many battles at work as she braces for the next attack that will never come. She looks at the mass, a dark scowl on her face as she slowly gets out of her defensive position. She shakes her head and continues to walk towards the hallway, trying to look as normal as possible. Just as Lucy was about to enter the hallway, a gruff voice calls out to her, "Luce!"

Her dark scowl turns into a full on snarl, _Damn you. _Before she plasters on that fake smile and turns around, making sure to look innocent, "Yes, Natsu, what do you want?"

The fire DragonSlayer smirks at her and walks over, dragging over the white haired girl everyone has been fussing over. Lucy doesn't even lend her a glance, _Why am I being so rude?_ "Come meet Lissana!"

_I really don't want to. _"Okay!" Lucy gives a fleeting glance at the hallway she was aiming for, before looking at Lissana. As she sticks out her hand for the other girl to shake, her brown eyes land on a gorgeous emerald amulet around Lissana's neck. Resisting the urge to smirk broadly, Lucy keeps up her cherry charade, "Hello, Lissana-san, I'm Lucy Heartphilia, Celestial mage."

Lissana smiles an obviously fake smile at her and says, "As you know I'm Lissana Strauss, Take Over mage." The two women shake hands, both trying to crush each other's bones.

_Stupid thief…what are this person's intentions? _"My, my, what a pretty amulet you have. I had one just like it, before it got stolen."

Lissana's fake smile broadens, "Why thank you. I got it from a friend. Natsu has told me a lot about you. Won't stop talking about how great you are, actually." The two were still shaking hands, still trying to crush each other. Lissana tightens her grip on Lucy's hand, most likely bruising it but the blonde refuses to back down, squeezing even harder.

Lucy feels a spike of triumph in her gut, but dismisses it, "Well, I cannot say the same, unfortunately."

'Lissana' doesn't even try to look offended, instead all she says is, "Well I was assumed dead, so I'm sure it was a topic he didn't want to discuss with some stranger."

Her voice is polite as she insults Lucy, and Lucy feels anger stir within her, "Stranger, eh? At least I will always be here for him." Lissana lets go of Lucy's hand as if it were on fire, before continuing to smile that fake smile.

Natsu smiles broadly, oblivious to the dark auras coming off the two women. The entire guild watches interestedly, wondering if the two will end up fighting, "Well, now that you two know each other, why don't you come party with us, Luce? C'mon..." He pokes her in the stomach, causing a tiny giggle to come from the blonde, "…you know you wana~!"

Lucy giggles and says, "Parties aren't really my thing, Natsu. Maybe some other time."

Lissana makes a move, "How unfortunate, Lucy-san. Oh well, more for _us_, I guess." She turns away, and Lucy could have sworn she saw a demonic smile on that woman's gorgeous face.

Lucy feels a growl build in her chest, but she quenches it and simply smiles, "Well, when you put it that way…c'mon Natsu, we're all here to have a good time. Right, _Lissana_-san?" She puts the emphasis on her name, to let the other girl know she wasn't buying her charade.

Lissana goes stiff, before relaxing and saying, "Right, Lucy-san."

Feeling triumph build up in her gut, Lucy lets the forever oblivious Natsu drag her away, with Lissana trailing behind.

OoOoOoO

Five hours and a drunken guild later, Lucy and Lissana sit at the bar, side by side. They don't talk; they don't even look at each other. The guild is silent except the snores of Cana and a few other guild members. Lucy takes a swig from her third bottle of beer and says simply, "I don't know why you're here, and I don't know who the fuck sent you, but I swear to God if you mess up my mission, I will kill you." She takes another swig, staring straight forward.

Lissana replies immediately, "What do you mean, Lucy-san?"

"Don't play dumb with me. You stole my Take Over amulet so you could impersonate a dead friend. You're sick."

"And you aren't? You're getting them to trust you, put faith in you."

"At least I'm not impersonating someone they all loved. Most of them barely know me. I am not denying that I am a wretched person, but I am not that cold."

Lucy hears a hateful snigger, "I'm surprised you don't know who I am by now, Lucy-san. Master Goliean would be disappointed."

Lucy manages to contain her gasp of surprise and instead says calmly, "Ah, so I know you, eh? Then you're definitely twisted…" Taking another swig of her beer, she chuckles and says, "Did he send you to check up on me, Chestlie*?"

Chestlie run a hand through the short white hair that wasn't her's, "Nah, I came out of my own free will. All I need is one slip up, one reason for him to take you off this mission, than he will have more faith in me than you."

Lucy laughs humorlessly, "Someone has major daddy issues, eh?" Finally, she turns to look at Chestlie, and the thief looks at her. They stare at each other for a while before Lucy says, "You're not going to get away with this. Someday they're going to ask you to go on a mission with them, and have you know, that amulet can only do one transformation at a time." At the surprised look on the woman posing as Lissana's face, the smirk Lucy has been holding in for so long finally surfaces as she hisses triumphantly, "Foolish woman, didn't daddy ever tell you to plan ahead?"

Chestlie snarls at her and out of nowhere, her hand comes down, striking Lucy across the face and pushing her face to the side. The sound rings out, waking up the sleeping fire DragonSlayer that fell asleep between them on the ground.

"E-eh…what?" He mumbles as Lucy regains her composure and smirks darkly.

"That's the game you want to play, eh bitch? Then let's go." Lucy remarks, before with a battle cry she leaps at Chestlie, knocking her off her chair. Her hands immediately go for the amulet, but Chestlie wasn't having that. The impersonator swats her hands away and reaches up to pull Lucy's hair roughly. Lucy cusses and drives her knee into Chestlie's wide open gut, knocking the wind out of her. Chestlie rolls over, shoving Lucy into the ground. Her hands reach for Lucy's eyes, trying to blind her, but Lucy catches her fingers and twists them, the sound of breaking bones ravishing her ears. Chestlie cries out in pain before growling and bringing back her fist to punch Lucy across the face. Her hit lands home, and pain explodes through Lucy's face, and blood drips from her wide open mouth. Lucy growls and pushes upwards, knocking Chestlie onto her back. In seconds Lucy is on her, knees on her shoulders to keep her from being able to get up, and hands in her hair, forcing her head back. Chestlie cries out as Lucy does this, but is silenced when Lucy gets in her face.

"You waltz in here," Lucy growls, a murderous look on her face, "looking like _that_ and talking like _that_ and you expect to get away with it? You little bitch, you don't deserve her body!" She suddenly screeches, blood still dripping from her mouth, "You don't deserve to be treated the way she was! Lissana is nice, kind, warm-hearted, the _exact opposite _of you. You don't deserve to wear that face! Posing as such a loved member of Fairy Tail…_unforgivable!_" _Why am I so offended? Why do I feel so angry that she posed as a girl I don't even know? I don't understand…_

Natsu's onyx eyes go wide from where he was laying down and he shoots up, "Lucy, get off of her!" He goes to pull Lucy off of Chestlie but is stopped by a voice.

"No, Natsu!" The deep voice calls out. Both Natsu and Lucy look up to see Master Marcov standing at attention in the hallway entrance. His dark eyes are on Lucy and Chestlie, who were still on the ground, "Let them fight. You can't babysit them anymore, they're big girls, and they can handle this like adults."

Lucy stares up at him, before suddenly feeling a sharp pain in her wrist. She cries out and looks down to see Chestlie biting deep in Lucy's left wrist, blood already streaming down. Lucy screeches again and drives her fist into Chestlie's head, beating her mercilessly, but she refuses to let go. Grinding her teeth into the wound, Chestlie causes Lucy to scream out in pain again, before Lucy gets smart and pokes her in the eye. It is Chestlie's turn to cry out and let go, and she shakes her head as if trying to shake off something that wasn't there. Lucy growls and suddenly brings down her head, nailing straight into Chestlie's. They both cry out, more Chestlie than Lucy, before Chestlie somehow gains the upper hand and flips Lucy over and into a pillar, effectively chasing away the air in her lungs. She tries to suck in air and fins that she cannot. As Lucy tries to regain her composure, Chestlie lifts herself off the ground and wipes a hand across her mouth, smearing the limb with crimson. The female thief laughs at Lucy and grinds out, "You bitch, you always thought you were so great! Well, now it's my turn, you hear?! I'm going to prove to you and Master that I am superior!"

Lucy stares at her, finally able to catch her breath. For five long seconds the two women stare at each other, one with a maniac grin and the other with a bleeding scowl. Finally, Lucy's scowl turns into a smirk as she hisses out, "Daddy always loved me best~!"

That strikes a major nerve, for the woman impersonating Lissana growls darkly and her beautiful face is turned grotesque by a hate filled sneer, "Fucking bitch!" Chestlie rushes forward before Lucy could even react, slamming her arm into her neck and crushing her against the pillar. Lucy gasps for breath, clawing at Chestlie's arm and face, but the other woman doesn't react in the slightest, pushing harder and harder against her neck. Blackness begins to dot Lucy's vision as she gasps harder for breath. She makes eye contact with Chestlie, to find only murderous hatred so fiery for a second Lucy felt real fear rush through her, real fear that the woman hasn't felt in such a long time.

_Think, Lucy, think! She didn't take all of your amulets, stupid girl. _She hears the transgender voice hiss in her mind, and immediately she stops clawing at Chestlie, and instead goes for her amulets. Chestlie's eyes go wide as she realizes what Lucy was doing, but it was too late. Lucy's left hand closes around her Fire amulet, and immediately she chants darkly, "_Fire, fire, burn that liar!_" Fire erupts around her, instantly taking a toll on Lucy's magic. Chestlie screeches and back up, patting furiously at the flames that eat at her clothing. When Lucy is finally released, she falls to her knees, gasping wildly for breath. She massages her neck and lets go of the amulet, knowing that if she used anymore of it, she would surely black out from using too much of her magic. She gulps in air and shakily stands up, and walks over to Chestlie, who was still furiously trying to put out the flames. With one kick, Lucy sends her sprawling onto the dirty ground.

Chestlie looks up at Lucy in hatred and hisses, "I will beat you, Lucy. I'm superior in every way, you bitch!"

Lucy simply stares at her before saying, "This fight is over, you have obviously lost. You have major burns that need to be tended to. Go get them fixed, and then get the Hell out of _my_ guild." Not even noticing her slip up, Lucy pants for breath, knowing that she was going to pass out soon from using her Fire amulet.

Chestlie screeches and yells, "IT IS NEVER OVER! NEVER OVER UNTIL _I _WIN!" She shoots up and screams, "_Requip: Domination Armor!_"

Natsu stares at Chestlie, "W-what?" His innocent onyx eyes are wide with confusion, and Lucy feels a tiny spike of regret rush through her triumph, but she quickly brushes it off.

Lucy smirks darkly and says, "Stupid girl, Lissana isn't a Requip mage."

But Chestlie wasn't listening, she was glowing brightly, chanting words and spells. Lissana's face splits in half and from it appears the real Chestlie, a girl with sharp features and long black hair. One by one, each body part grows in length for Chestlie was taller than Lissana. Lucy smirks darkly, before falling to the ground exhausted. She pants heavily, _Shit, I'm not up for this fight..._ She massages her neck as she watches dark gray armor cover Chestlie's now naked body, and a single long sword appears in her right hand. The Take Over amulet breaks off and falls to the ground, and immediately Lucy dives for it, catching it with professional ease and grace. She clutches it to her chest and kisses the warm gem lightly, before shoving it into her pocket. She stares up at Chestlie furiously and snarls out, "Stupid bitch. You're right in the middle of the guild."

At last, Chestlie was done transforming. Now an average looking woman stands in front of Lucy, dark grey armor shaping into looking like a type of bird, with large metal wings and a helmet whose face curved into a beak. Chestlie stares down at Lucy in hatred and hisses out, "Now you die, traitor!"

_Traitor? _Lucy brushes it off and reaches for the Zodiac keys on her belt loop. Leo could get her out of this mess! But, before she could even so much as grab the ring of keys, a tall figure is in front of her, blocking her from Chestlie's view. Lucy's eyes go wide as her eyes land on his salmon colored hair, "N-Natsu? Move! This is _my_ fight!"

Natsu simply growls and says, "Lissana was _my _friend, this bitch defiled her memory, so therefore this is _my _fight. You might know this chick, but that doesn't mean shit. Now shut up and watch."

Lucy growls and stands up, tilting slightly, "Y-you jerk! I have to fight her! We were meant to fight, ever since the beginning!"

Chestlie nods, "The cunt is right. This ends now, just between Lucy and me."

"We will not tolerate interference. This is our destiny, this is-" Lucy begins.

"Our father's will!" The two women say at the same time.

By now, the entire guild had woken up and was gathering in the hall. People gasp as their eyes land on the intruder and the beat up Lucy, and they all look confused at seeing Master Marcov just sit there and watch, looking interested. Juvia walks forward and says, "Master, stop them!"

Master Marcov simply waves his hand and says, "I want to see how this ends, Juvia-chan."

Juvia frowns deeply and backs up, standing next to a tired Gray. Lucy stares at Natsu, wondering what he was going to do next. Natsu simply shakes his head and says, "You're retarded Luce. Look at yourself, you used up all your energy fighting with her before and using that amulet of yours. Just sit tight and count on me, okay?" He turns and smiles at her. Lucy feels warmth rush through her and she simply nods, backing up almost in shame.

Chestlie is furious, "What?! Lucy, are you backing out?! You coward, come and fight me!"

But Lucy ignores her, simply turning away as Natsu sets his fist on fire and jumps at Chestlie, beyond furious. She never turns, only curls up into a ball as she hears the screams of Chestlie and the cheering of Fairy Tail mages. A hand on her back startles her and she looks up to be staring into the dark eyes of the Titania Erza, who smiles softly at the Celestial mage. Lucy stares at her, before smiling back and throwing her arms around her robe clad shoulders, letting the older woman crush her into her chest. Erza shushes her softly and pats Lucy's hair as she sobs, even though she was so confused on why Lucy was crying. Lucy clutches onto Erza as she sobs even harder, most likely drenching her beautiful red robe, but she could tell that the scarlet haired woman didn't care one bit.

"It'll be okay, Lucy…we're all here for you. Every single one of us. We don't care what this was about, or about your past. We're just happy you're here." Erza says, smoothing Lucy's hair.

Lucy gives a tiny nod as she hears something crash to the ground, most likely Chestlie's body. A broken sob is ripped from her throat as more people come over to her, patting her hair and back reassuringly. Lucy looks up, glancing around to see Elfman, Mirajane, Levy, Happy and even Gajeel and Pantherlily comforting her. More tears build in her yes and spill over her bottom lids, and Happy reaches over to wipe them away with his tiny paw. Lucy catches it and kisses his paw and Happy smiles, flies over to her and licks her forehead in a friendly way. Lucy smiles at _her friend _and pats his head lightly. He hugs her neck, adding more love. Lucy smiles at everyone and murmurs, "Thank you…" Before she snuggles into Erza's shoulder and passes out.

_You did well, kid. Master Goliean is proud of you._

OoOoOoO

Erza looks down at the younger woman in her arms, and frowns deeply. She glances up at the battle that was raging in the middle of the guild hall. The enemy woman was seriously hurting; with fresh blood from new wounds mixing with older blood from her fight with Lucy. She was panting heavily and staring straight at Lucy, not even lending a glance at Natsu, who was getting ready for another attack. No matter what Natsu did, this woman refused to fall, refused to show that she was getting weaker and weaker. But Erza could see it in her dull grey eyes, and could easily tell that the pain was messing with her mental health, for the intruder kept muttering something. Erza's big brown eyes land on her lips and the Titania tries to figure out what she was saying, _she….is repeating Lucy's name and…something else…_ Erza thought to herself.

"Erza, do you want me to bring Lucy-san to her room?" Mirajane asks, touching Erza's arm lightly. The scarlet haired woman looks at the white haired bartender, and feels sorrow build up in her gut at the look on the other woman's face. Tears were obvious in her eyes, yet Mirajane did not let any spill over. She has a kind smile, even though her eyes reflected so much pain. Erza feels anger build up in her gut, and her fists clench into Lucy's shit and she stiffly nods, "Mirajane….you know that this idiot will not get away with defiling Lissana's memory, yes?"

Mirajane smiles softly and nods, really having to fight to hold back tears, "Y-yeah…I'm happy that Lucy-san found out about the impostor before she could do any real damage."

Erza stares at Mirajane as if searching her face for something. When she finds it, she untangles Lucy's limbs from her own and helps Mirajane hold the girl bridal style. Lucy mutters in her sleep, but does not wake. Mirajane nods and walks away, grunting at the effort of carrying the 120 pound Lucy. Erza stares after them, before falling deep in thought, _hm…Lucy said 'get out of _my_ guild' when she was yelling at this woman earlier….what are you playing at, Lucy? Was that just a show, too? Were you just caught up in the moment? Or….are you beginning to forget about your true self and true guild? I wonder how Master will react to that…_Erza looks over at Master Marcov, who was staring over at the battle, which was slowing down.

Gasps ring out as suddenly the other woman dodges Natsu's fist with ease, and leaps at Mirajane, who was at the entrance of the dormitory hallway. The woman rises up the long silver sword in her hand, and screeches at the top of her lungs, "_Lucy, you will pay for taking him from me!_" And she draws her sword down in a deadly arc, a hideous bloody scowl on her normally beautiful face. Erza immediately leaps to her feet to protect her friends, but is stopped at the sight of something flashing across the room, crashing into the intruder.

It was a gigantic arm! Erza follows the arm with her eyes until she is staring straight at Master Marcov, who looked beyond angry. He draws back his hand, revealing a crumpled woman, whose grey armor was bent in many places. She coughs and tries to rise from her position, but finds that she cannot, and just falls back to the ground. Erza's brown eyes narrow and she moves forward to deal with the pest, but Master Marcov's voice stops her, "Erza, no. Someone alert the police, we'll deal with this civilly."

Erza tilts her head, and argues, "But Master, this…thing, she impersonated one of our own! She gave us all hope again, and you're letting her go that easy?! She deserves worse, she deserves to feel the pain we feel, she deserves-"

"Erza!" Master Marcov snaps, and immediately Erza falls silent, bowing her head in shame and apology. "Alert the local police. Everyone, go back to bed! You too, Natsu!"

Natsu clenches his fist and cracks his neck, nostrils flaring, "But-"

"_Now._"

Natsu growls and stomps off, muttering something about checking on Lucy. Erza stares after him, before sighing and whispering, "_Requip: Heart Crux Armor_." Immediately, her red robe strips away, and is replaced by a strong breast plate and a short blue skirt. She runs a calloused hand through her long scarlet hair and sighs deeply again. She heads over to the main guild doors, and pushes open the doors, before walking out into the night.

**OoOoOoO**

**Yeah…this chapter sort of got away from me. 0_0 please don't hate me for this awful chapter –sobs-**

**Well, I am kind of drunk, so that adds onto it…so sorry if it is messy. Hahaha~!**

**Don't report me to the feds, please 0_0**

**God damn this chapter was long…is it as long as the chapter titled Mission p. 3? I do not know…maybe…**

**OMG, I was looking at all the reviews and I was all like 'okay, I have to update NOW!' good thing I wrote this chapter in advance!**

**PARADISE.x out~!**


	21. Framed

**Come one, come all, to Circus de Fairy Tail chapter 21~! Wow…21 fucking chapters…I am so amazed that I got this far. And you know **_**how**_** I got this far? YOU AND YOU AND YOU and many others! Because of the fans of this story, you kept me going. A few times, yes, I did doubt myself, but all the reviews and all the PMs…they kept me going! So, I must say, thank you. All of you. You know who you are ;D even those pesky non-reviewers, because favorites and follows help me out as well. You all are so nice, and so amazing…so once again, thank you so much. I cannot stress my gratitude enough, but I'm sure you all get the point! Thank you all for staying with me and my story, and more importantly, staying with thief Lucy~! I had doubts on whether or not people would like an 'evil' Lucy, but she really isn't all that evil…she's just in a bad situation.**

**And to Guest, who gave me that great idea, it really is a great idea, but that's more for an actual story, not just a sub-plot in a story. I have many ideas already for this story, but perhaps I could use your idea for an actual story…? It is a marvelous idea, and I do not want it to go to waste!**

**ANYWHO, enough with my words of appreciation, and onto the story! **

**OoOoOoO**

_My head…hurts…so…fucking…BADLY! _Lucy thought as she forces her eyes open. She takes in a deep breath, and winces at a pang in her wrist and head. Her brown eyes rest on her wrist and she sighs again. The large bite mark was a furious red, and slightly purple around the edges. Lucy sighs and slams her head back down on her pillow, deeming that a bad idea when her head pounds heavily, "O-ow~!" She whines, her bottom lip quivering slightly from the pain, "How much did I drink last night…?" She sniggers lightly at her own joke, before pushing herself off her bed, being careful of her aching wrist. When her feet touch the ground, she squeals at the horrid coldness, "Gah!" She exclaims before quickly running across the floor and to her comfy pair of white slippers next to her dresser. She shoves them on and sighs at the warmth, "Yay…." She sighs again and stretches, lifting her long arms high into the air until she heard her back crack. She sighs once again in relief and glances down at her attire. She was wearing what she was last night, and she noticed that is was slightly ripped and had droplets of dried blood on her shirt collar. She scowls and quickly opens a dresser drawer, revealing shirts of every color. She grabs a simple red one, throws off the bloody shirt she was currently wearing. She puts on the shirt and leaves on the short blue skirt, seeing how it was unharmed.

She stretches again and yawns loudly, noting that her amulets were still around her neck and her keys still attached to her belt loop. She smiles, glad that whoever brought her to her bed last night had enough sense to leave her with her amulets and keys. At the thought of last night, her smile fades into an emotionless line and she whispers, "Chestlie…" Sadness peaks in her gut as she thinks of her step-sister, and she begins to wonder what has happened to her.

_I did pass out before her and Natsu's fight was ended…_ A dark scowl comes to her face and she moves forward, opening her door and prowling out in her fluffy white slippers. She walks down the surreal hallway she has grown accustom to, and into the main guild hallway. Instantly, all eyes are on her, and some people were murmuring about her. Cana looks at her, before calling out, "Oi! Lucy! Remind me never to get in a cat fight with you!"

People laugh in agreement, and soon there is nothing but praise for Lucy and how she 'dealt with that intruder'.

"How did you know she was impersonating Lissana?"

"Man, you beat her down, girl!"

"I should have made people pay to watch you fight her, I would've made a fortune!"

Lucy feels a tiny smile come to her face out of pride. She had shown these people what she could do…even though she didn't even have to have the help of her 'demon' as she liked to call it. Whenever Lucy got really angry, or just felt a negative emotion that is too much for her to bare, her alternate personality comes out and gets the job done for her. I guess you can call it her 'animalistic side'. Lucy does not know where it came from, or how she got it, she just remembers their first encounter, the day she had killed that dark mage because he found out about her true guild.

Lucy nods to some people, and keeps on moving over to the bar with one objective in mind. She had to find out what happened to Chestlie, and she had to find out fast. Chestlie was second to her in Thieves' Guild, and if a Fairy Tail mage murdered her, they will _not_ be happy. Master Goliean would probably take it as Fairy Tail's display of power over them, and to keep his pride intact, Master Goliean would most likely declare war against Fairy Tail, and Lucy could not have that happening just yet. She wanted to complete her mission and make her adoptive father proud of her, and she didn't care what she had to do to get him to feel pride when he looks at her. As she nears the bar, she sits on her usual spot and smiles at Mirajane, who smiles right back, "Good morning, Mirajane-sama!"

Mirajane nods to her, "Same to you, Lucy-san! How are you?"

Lucy shrugs, "Good, I guess. My wrist hurts like Hell, and so does my head, but what are ya' gonna do, eh?"

Mirajane smiles broadly and says, "Want some ice for that bite? It's looking kind of purple…"

Lucy looks down at it and squeaks at the sight of the 'wound'. There were no more teeth marks, whoever patched her up had made sure of that, but the area was darkly colored, with a single purple ring in the center of her wrist, and many grey markings around it. Lucy sighs but shakes her head, "Nah, it'll be fine. Now, I have a question to ask."

Mirajane nods "Shoot."

"Ches- That girl that impersonated Lissana-san…what happened to her?" Lucy inquires, narrowing her eyes slightly.

Mirajane's smile fades a bit, and she says, "She was taken into custody by the Magnolia Town local police. She is sitting in a jail cell as we speak."

Lucy's eyes go wide before she smiles softly, _thank God above they didn't kill her…they have no idea how close they came to having a full scale of war on their hands…_ "Good, good. Where is the jail?"

Mirajane points west and says, "About 2 miles west of here, in the middle of the woods. Citizens didn't want the prison too close to home."

The Celestial mage nods, "Thanks, Mirajane-sama. Have a nice day." With that, she jumps off the bar stool and walks casually over to the front doors of the guild. She carries that fake smile the whole way over, but the second she opens the doors and steps out into the bright morning sun, the smile disappears in a flash, and is replaced by a dark scowl. Her doe eyes narrow dangerously as she walks down the street, turning at a sign that read '_TOWN PRISON: 2 MILES'_. Sighing heavily, Lucy keeps on walking down that lonely road, _she better be there._

OoOoOoO

Natsu stretches and walks out of his room, with Happy on his heels. He smirks at the blue Exceed and says, "What do you wanna do today, Happy?"

Happy smiles broadly at him, showing tiny feline fangs, "Let's go on a mission!"

Natsu nods, "Yeah that's a gre-" He pauses, and then shakes his head, "Can't, tonight is the Circus, remember? Lucy and I are going to be the main event."

Happy nods, "Oh, right! Well, let's go mess with Lucy then!" He flies ahead of Natsu, doing little twirls in the air and smirking broadly. Natsu feels affection rise in him, and he pats Happy on the head, surprising the cat. He looks at the fire DragonSlayer, "Yes, Natsu?"

Natsu simply shrugs, "Nothing. Let's go mess with Luce." He walks along while Happy flies, a big smile on his face. The two head into the main guild hall, and they greet everyone. As he nears the bar, Natsu locks his onyx eyes onto an empty seat. He sniffs the air and frowns, "Hm…"

Happy looks at him in confusion, "What, Natsu?"

Natsu glances around, "Lucy was sitting here a little while ago…I wonder where she went." He clenches his fists before gazing over at Mirajane, who was humming to herself and drying off wet glass cups. He smiles at her and says, "Yo, Mirajane!"

Mirajane looks up and smiles broadly, ceasing her humming, "Oh, hello Natsu! What can I do for you?"

Natsu runs a hand through his salmon colored locks and says, "Lucy was just here, where did she go?"

The white haired barmaid shrugs before saying, "She got up and left the guild after I told her about how we put that intruder in jail. She might be visiting her, or just decided to go shopping for a bit before we all start making preparations for tonight."

Natsu nods in gratitude, "Thanks Mirajane. I'll just wait for her here then…" He plops down on the seat Lucy had been sitting in earlier and lays his head down on the bar counter. He sighs, immediately feeling depressed about Lucy not being there.

Mirajane looks at him sympathetically and says, "Natsu, why are you so sad? Is it maybe perhaps because…" A devil smirk comes to her face and she leans towards him, winking, "…you miss Lucy-san already?"

Natsu's face turns slightly pink and he mutters, "Maybe…"

"Awwwww~!" She exclaims, rearing back and clapping her hands excitedly, "That's so adorable!"

Happy sniggers, "You l_iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii_ke her~!" He says, rolling his tongue adorably.

Natsu goes beat red and growls, "I do not!"

Mirajane smirks, _so he _does_ know what I'm talking about…this will be interesting…_ She thought before saying, "You so do! I can see it all across your face! So, what do you like about her? Her face, her hair, her body, what?"

Natsu looks away and retorts, "I do not like her, for the umpteenth time, and even if I did, I wouldn't like her for any of those shallow things. I would like Lucy for just being herself, I mean, she's funny, sweet, kind, caring-" He cuts off at Happy and Mirajane's looks of pure happiness and he sighs, "Crush down those hopes because I don't like her. She's my _nakama_ and nothing more, just like you, Levy-chan, everyone here."

Happy looks up at Natsu with tear filled eyes, "What about me, Natsu?"

Natsu smiles warmly at his friend, "You're more than my _nakama_, because you're my brother."

Happy cheers, "Yay!" He claps his little paws together and smiles broadly up at his 'brother'.

Mirajane watches the touching scene with tiny tears in her eyes, before squealing loudly, "Kawaii~! Such a touching scene! Now, all that needs to happen to make my day perfect is for Natsu to confess his feelings towards Lucy-san~!"

Natsu sweat drops, "Ain't gonna happen, Mirajane. We're just _nakama_! That's how it is going to stay…" He trails off and stares off into space, leaving Mirajane to guess what he is thinking about. She quickly comes up with fantasies of little blonde Natsu's running around, some burning things and others yelling "Open, Gate of the…" and so on and so forth. She squeals again and falls over; passing out from how cute the spawns of Natsu and Lucy looked. Natsu snaps out of his daydreaming in time to watch her fall over, and he leaps up, "Mirajane? Mirajane!" He leaps over the bar and tries to shake the barmaid away, "Mirajane come back to me!"

OoOoOoO

Lucy sighs and pushes open the door of the police station, doing her best to look like…well…_not a thief_. She nods to some officers, who dip their heads back, and she continues on to sign up at the visitor's counter. She waits in the short line, before finally walking up to write down her name, whether she is a mage or not, and who she is visiting. She ponders for a moment, before writing down,

_Name: Jasmine Rock_

_Mage: Yes_

_If so, which: Artifact Mage_

_Prisoner: Chestlie Vix_

She smiles kindly at the receptionist, who just raises a bored eyebrow, and she shuffles away to the waiting area, sitting down on a plush sofa. Looking natural, she picks up a flashy _Weekly Sorcerer_ magazine and pretends to read it, moving her eyes across the paper, but not actually taking in any of the rubbish. She listens to the conversations around her; maybe she could pick up something useful about the town she was in.

"_Did you hear about that murdered shopkeeper?"_ Old news that Lucy had no time for, so she dismisses it.

"_New shipments of strawberry seeds are coming to town…"_

"_Heard of that new girl in Fairy Tail?" _Now this catches Lucy's attention, and she shifts her weight so she could hear better, _"I heard she's really strong." _Lucy smiles in approval at the words and finds herself agreeing, _"But also someone told me she's a bit of an idiot. She went on an S-class mission with that Natsu Dragneel boy!"_

Lucy frowns and clenches her fists that hold the magazine and decides not to listen anymore, because she knew she would just end up getting angry with the way their conversation was going. She sighs and places the magazine down, crossing her legs and leaning back into the sofa. Many minuets pass before finally someone calls, "Jasmine Rock!"

Lucy stands up, places on that fake smile she wore so well, and walks over to where a tall man was standing with a clipboard. He takes her in before smiling warmly and gesturing for her to walk through an open doorway, "This way please, Ms. Rock." Lucy nods and walks forward, going in the direction the man pointed her in. She walks down an empty corridor and only stops when he tells her to, "Okay, Ms. Rock, just through this door here and you will be able to visit Ms. Vix. You have twenty minutes."

Lucy nods as he opens the door and she walks in with ease, entering the room with the large silver table in the center. She sits at one of the chairs and waits patiently, staring at a drab grey wall. After another few minutes, a door on the opposite wall opens and in walks Chestlie who was wearing a loose fitting orange jumpsuit and large chains that connected to a large metal waist shackle. Her dark eyes lock on Lucy and she smirks darkly, "Ah, Lucy."

Lucy nods her head and smirks right back, "Chestlie. Orange looks good on you, suits your _inner animal_." She mocks lightly, and she gestures for her to sit, "Sit down, relax a bit. I don't bite."

Chestlie smirks and sits down as asked of, "Pfft, I know, I already did all the biting." She gestures to Lucy's heavily bruised wrist.

Lucy chuckles, "Still hurts like Hell…I hope you realize that Master Goliean will hear about this."

Chestlie nods reluctantly, "I do realize this…he must be told where his daughter has gone. Pfft, as if he ever cared where I went. He was always too concerned about dear old Lucy."

The Celestial mage shrugs, "Eh, I guess. I did get much more attention than you, and back then I was ecstatic…his attention was everything…" She stares at the wall again and whispers, "Where did it all go wrong, sister?"

The Requip mage looks at her and says, "The second you started to forget about me." Her tone is calm, surprising Lucy.

Lucy looks back at Chestlie and says, "I never forgot about you, not for a single second. I guess I was just too selfish to even ask if you could ever join father and I's training…I wanted him all to myself…still do, and obviously the feelings are mutual with you."

Chestlie nods and says darkly, "Funny…I was so close to getting a mistake out of you. You are too close to that dragon boy. You need to distance yourself before you grow too attached."

Lucy stares at her for a moment, before breaking out in loud laughter. It echoes in the semi-empty room, startling Chestlie, "Oh, Chestlie, you act as if you don't even know me! You must know that everything I do is a lie, everything they think I am is a lie, and everything they expect me to do is a lie. I am not growing attached to Natsu, I _seem_ like I am. God, sister, has father ever taught you anything?"

Chestlie growls, "No, it was Damien who taught me everything."

Lucy nods, remembering the old fart, "Ah, yes, Damien-sama. I miss that old coot, even if he did despise me because I pulled that one tiny prank~!"

"You stole his walking stick and painted it gold!"

Lucy shrugs, "Made him look younger, not my fault that guy's so stingy."

Chestlie rolls her dark colored eyes and snorts, "Yeah, he was pretty tough on everyone, especially me."

"That was just to get you motivated, you lazy sack of bones."

"Ha! At least I practiced on weekends! What did you do?"

Lucy looks away grumpily, "Played video games….shut up." Lucy looks back at her while she laughs and says, "I remember the first time we met, sister…what a horrid night it was."

Chestlie stops laughing and nods in agreement, "There was so much blood…and you were covered in it when Master found you."

Lucy nods an shudders at the thought, "Yeah, I remember well. You looked so horrified."

"I _was _horrified. I was just a little kid, blood still scared me then. Not now, though, I've seen so much of it to last me a lifetime…and I can tell the same for you, with you murdering that poor little shopkeeper."

Lucy's brown eyes go wide, "How did you hear of that?!"

Chestlie shrugs, "I witnessed it. So did that little Script mage…what was her name? Jevy?"

"Levy-chan…she must be faking amnesia because she is too frightened of me."

Chestlie shrugs, "The hit to the head I gave her says otherwise."

Lucy looks up at her, "Hit to the head?"

The woman nods, "Aye, she began to scream, but I cuffed her in the back of the head and dragged her towards Fairy Tail until she woke up, then I took off. I made sure she didn't remember."

Lucy nods, and stares at the ground. The two are silent for a moment, before Lucy looks up and says, "You are going to stay in here, and you are going to confess to murdering that shopkeeper. I will place the necklace I stole on the old man's grave, and you will tell the police you placed it there. When they ask you why, you will say that he stole the necklace from a friend of yours and you wanted payback. This is what you will do for me since I defeated you. You must also rip off your left pinkie nail, for the suspect lost it in the fight." She lifts up her left hand, showing the light pink, bare nail bed, void of a nail.

Chestlie stares at her for a moment, before smiling softly and looking down at the silver table, "Very well, sister, if that is what you command. You have one day before I confess, so it better be there or I will give you away."

Lucy nods, "Thank you, Chestlie, you have saved me a great deal of misfortune."

Chestlie scoffs and mutters, "You're lucky they don't monitor us…"

Lucy smirks broadly, "Damn straight, 'lucky' is my middle name." She stands up from her seat, and Chestlie mirrors her actions. Lucy bows her head to her step-sister and says, "Until we meet again." She turns and walks to the door of the room. Once she is there, she hears faintly:

"_We won't."_

Lucy pauses, sadness almost drowning her, before she opens the door and walks out and into the hallway, leaving her beloved step-sister behind to face justice alone.

**[A/N: God, Lucy sounds like a real bitch right now XD lol]**

OoOoOoO

Later, back at the guild, Lucy was being man-handled by a ferocious scarlet haired beast. Sweating profusely, Lucy cringes as Erza yells to everyone, "_Get into your positions NOW!_" Before roughly dragging Lucy towards the women's changing area, a dark scowl on her face, "Imbeciles, I swear!" She mutters, before shoving Lucy into a dimly lit room. Erza seems to calm herself before looking at the frightened-beyond-belief girl cowering in the middle of the room, "Get changed into the costume provided for you, it is over there on the dresser. Do not get any stains on it, or you will have _me _to answer to." She throws a deadly glare at Lucy, who nods quickly and practically runs over to the dresser. Erza nods and closes the door, leaving Lucy to get dressed. Lucy was shaking horribly, and she felt as if she were about to vomit. She looks at the zipped up black bag and touches it softly, before grabbing the zipper and pulling it down. Lucy gasps at what she sees, mouth widening in awe and her eyes go as wide as dinner plates.

Inside the black bag were the most beautiful corset and leotard shorts she had ever seen. The corset looked tight, and she had a feeling it would push up her voluptuous breasts. It was colored black, but had tiny little red and orange crystals along the hem at gave an impression of it being on fire. The shorts were completely black with ruffles near her private place, making it look even sexier. The flexible black ballerina shoes that came with the outfit were a simple black too, but had matching crystals in them to make it look as if her feet were on fire. She also pulls out a pair of gloves and a black thin hairband. The gloves her made from the same fabric as the shorts, but was rougher, so she wouldn't slip if she was to jump to catch something, and they had no design to them. The hair band had a single, bright, blood-red ruby on the top, but it was very small and Lucy faintly wonders what it was really there for.

The Celestial mage squeals loudly, "Oh my God, it's so pretty! Oh, I wonder how I look in it. One way to find out!" She quickly throws off her clothing, and unclasps her bra as well, throwing it on the ground with her shit and skirt. She steps out of her shoes and socks, and immediately grabs the corset, wrapping it around her busty chest. She tightens it harshly, not feeling a thing, and ties the knot in the back, smirking broadly. She grabs the shorts and throws them on, making sure nothing rode up. She steps into the ballerina flats and claps her hands wildly, squealing again, "Oh my God!" She picks up a wooden brush and runs it through her hair, undoing the side ponytail she had and flattening out her hair. She smiles at herself in the mirror and brushes her hair back into her waiting hand, and once she makes sure she has every strand, she ties it up with the hair tie, making sure the ruby was on top. She smiles at herself in the mirror again and twirls. She smirks broadly, "Damn, I look good~!"

Suddenly, there is a knock at the door before it bursts open, revealing Levy, Mirajane and Erza. Levy was already prepared, wearing a gorgeous light blue dress and cute ballerina flats to match. Her impression was innocent and cute, and it suited the tiny Script mage. Mirajane wasn't dressed up at all, and neither was Erza, which made Lucy cock her head to the side, "Aren't you guys going to get dressed?"

Erza shakes her head, "Mirajane doesn't participate and I can requip within a second's time."

Lucy nods, "I see." She smiles at Levy, "You look so cute, Levy-chan! It really suites you."

Levy smiles and does a little curtsy, which made Lucy squeal at her cuteness, "Why thank you. You're not looking so bad yourself! That fiery look really draws attention to you, and you just look so good in it!"

Lucy smiles, "Thanks! So, we going out now?"

Erza shakes her head, and suddenly all three of them old up large containers labeled '_MAKE-UP_' and a devil grin comes to each one of their faces. Lucy backs up, sweating slightly, "G-guys…what are you going to do with that?! No, stay away!" She squeals as they get closer and closer to her. Mirajane is the first to grab for her, and her hand circles around Lucy's small right arm. She drags Lucy over to a large chair in front of the dresser where her clothes had been and she sits her down. Lucy tires to get up, but Erza comes over and forces her down.

"Try to get up," The scarlet haired mage growled, "and you'll live to regret it."

Lucy quickly nods, "A-aye, sir!" She says, quoting Happy. Erza nods and eagerly the three women get to work, much to Lucy's complaints and rejections.

About thirty minutes later, the three women back up from the woman, examining their work with professional eyes. Lucy had stopped fighting long ago, and had just taken her punishment like a man. They stare at her, until Erza nods and says, "We did an amazing job."

Levy squeals, "If I was a guy I would definitely ask you out, Lu-chan!"

Mirajane crosses her arms across her busty chest proudly and says, "We should do this more often!"

"OH PLEASE GOD NO!" Lucy exclaims and she launches herself out of her seat. She begins to run away, but is stopped at the sight of herself in the mirror. She stares at her reflection, and wonders how it was humanly possible to look as good as she did now. The girls had been light on her blush and foundation, because Lucy already had clear and creamy skin, but the eyeshadow was a different story. It was a pure, sparkly black shadowy eye look that made her look sexy and appealing. Her lips were blood-red, adding onto the fullness of them and adding on to her sex appeal. She gasps, staring at herself for a few moments before squealing loudly, "You guys made me look so _hot_! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She turns around and hugs the three women at the same time, effectively cutting off their air supplies.

"L-Lu-chan…c-can't…breathe…!" Levy chokes out, eyes widening.

"Opps! Sorry, Levy-chan! " She lets go of all of them and takes a step back, smiling broadly, "So, are we leaving now?"

Erza nods and says, "Are you ready, Lucy?"

Lucy gulps yet nods stiffly, "Y-yes, let's go."

Mirajane smiles reassuringly at her, and takes her hand. Levy bounces behind them, and Erza walks casually after them. With Mirajane leading her, Lucy walks out of the changing room, leaving her clothing and knowledge of her step sister's choice behind.

**OoOoOoO**

**WOW LONGEST CHAPTER YET! I'm so proud of myself~! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and that I answered at least some of your questions!**

**Omg, have any of you ever heard of 'Dexter'? It's this show on this channel called 'Showtime' and it is about this guy who works for the Miami Metro Police and is a serial killer! He only kills bad people, so it's okay! Yeah, I'm on season 7 now, and I'm SO EXCITED! Just watched a new episode today and it was AMAZING. You see, this guy captured Dexter and put him in this weird maze, where he chased after him with an axe! Dexter got away though, being the smart clever man he is! I was all jumping out of my seat and yelling, "SERIAL KILLER VS. SERIAL KILLER! GO DEX-Y GO!" LOL I am a major fan of Dexter 3 I just love it with all my heart! And when Dexter killed the guy, he strapped him down to a table, and he was in a crematorium [you know, the place they cremate dead people!] and he pressed a button and a little door rose, showing his victim the fire! The victim started freaking out and was all like "FUCK! FUCK!" and Dexter mocked him, and I was all like LOL. And I was like, "Yeah, Dex-y, BURN HIS ASS!" But he didn't burn him while he was still alive, unfortunately, only stabbed him [as he usually does with all of his victims] with the wooden handle of a shovel that was sharpened when Dexter hit him across the head with a shovel! [When that happened I was all like OMG!] and then once the guy was dead [or just choking on his own blood] he sent him into the flames and cremated his ass! I was all like "YES! FINALLY THAT GUY GOT WHAT HE DESERVED! GOOD WORK DEX-Y! Hey, I have been having troubles with this guy…" LOL and then his sister [who knows he is a serial killer] picked him up from the crematorium and was all like, "I'm glad." When he asked her how she felt about him killing that guy, and I was all like "DAMN STRAIGHT YOU ARE, DEBRA! YOU WANTED TO KILL HIM, AND YOUR BROTHER DID IT, THAT'S GOOD!" I was so happy~!**

**-Cough- As you can tell I am a major fan of this show….maybe even more than Fairy Tail :0 probably not though….**

**DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED on Fairy Tail3**

**Peace~!**

**PARADISE.x**

**p.s. damn, 5,071 words!**


	22. Circus

**Greetings, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to what you all have been waiting for, introducing for the 22****nd**** time, Circus dé Fairy Tail! Yes, I figured out how to do the é thing…lol and I figured out 'dé' means 'from' so…welcome to Circus from Fairy Tail! Actually, if you think about it, it makes sense… 'Cause the circus is from Fairy Tail, get it? You know…I'm sure you do, because if you don't, then you are RETARDED. Just kidding, none of you are retarded~!**

**I'm going to try to draw some fan art for this story, especially for Juvia's bit in the beginning of this chapter. I will also do it for Natsu and Lucy's Circus bit. I will tell everyone when I'm done! And, if anyone wants to make some art for it, go for it! I won't mind –suggestive wink-**

**Anywho, now this chapter is going to be fully on everyone's circus bit, then a big finale ending with Lucy and Natsu's bit, so be ready for my diseased imagination at work! Ha, ha oh the fun I will have writing this!**

**BTW, I write my introductory before the actual story XD**

**Gosh, last chapter was super long! My longest chapter yet! I was so proud of myself!**

**Onto the story!**

**OoOoOoO**

"_Introducing your favorite Rain Woman, Juvia of the Rain!_" Master Marcov's voice booms over the intercom and the audience of 46, 000 people cheer loudly, almost deafening Lucy who was peering through the large velvet curtains near the back of the main ring. She watches as Juvia waves shyly to the crowd and clutches her pink umbrella as if it were her lifeline. The Rain Woman begins her act, whispering her magical words and making it rain on the inside of the tent. People reach under their seats and pull out different colors of umbrellas, varying from black to white and all the colors in between. Lucy can't help but smirk at the memory of herself watching Juvia's amazing performance and stealing that golden umbrella because it hypnotized her with its lovely gleam. Juvia lets go of her umbrella, revealing her sweet face and she shoves her hands into the air, gathering up the rain with her mind. The water droplets mold together to form a large ball of water, and lights shine onto it, changing it different colors. Juvia kept it up there for about a minute, before she let it drop, drenching herself in water, but she didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, Juvia looked…alive, not like the expressionless porcelain doll she usually is, rarely showing if she was sad or even happy. She has a large smile on her beautiful face, even as she is covered in water. Then, the young woman begins to dance, and the water rises up around her and forms into a long line that circles around her. It twists and turns as she moves her hands this way and that, looking slightly erotic in the dim blue light. She curves her arms like snakes and the water moves with her, shaping into a serpent's head and curving around her arms. She twirls again, dragging her left arm across her busty chest seductively and slowly bringing it out to her side and the water serpent follows like a bloodhound, unwrapping itself from her arm and twirling around Juvia's hourglass body.

Suddenly, Juvia shoves her arms into the air, with the serpent following the direction where her hands were pointing, and it rears its head, turning towards the crowd and opening its large mouth. Juvia smirks and screeches, "_Shi Shi Doh!_" The creature suddenly sprays the crowd with rain water, drenching the middle rows. Everyone screams in admiration and excitement, cheering and laughing in wonder. Juvia dips in a small bow before backing away towards Lucy. The crowd is still cheering as she disappears behind the curtain, and walks over to Lucy. Juvia is smiling broadly, looking as excited as a kid at Christmas, "Oh, Lucy-chan, did you enjoy Juvia's performance?"

Lucy nods avidly, clapping her petite, gloved hands together, "Of course I did, it was amazing, Juvia-chan! You looked so pretty in that light, it was so cool!"

Juvia squeals and jumps up and down excitedly, "Oh, thank you Lucy-chan! You don't know how much that means to Juvia!" Lucy smiles and goes to hug her friend, who was opening her arms as well, but is stopped by Erza's loud voice,

"_Lucy, you better not mess up your outfit by getting it wet hugging Juvia!_"

Lucy immediately backs away, chuckling lightly and rubbing the back of her neck nervously, "Well, better not disobey her!"

Juvia nods quickly, "That would be most foolish! Good luck out there, Lucy-chan, I'll be cheering for you!" She then walks away to probably to change her drenched outfit, leaving Lucy to her thoughts. Lucy looks over to the left as she hears a shuffle, and her big brown eyes land on Natsu, who was sneaking over to her.

Lucy smiles brightly before her eyes go down to his outfit, and she frowns deeply, "How come you get to wear your normal outfit, and I have to wear this uncomfortable crap!" Of course, that was a lie. Amazingly, the corset was actually very comfortable and didn't rub awkwardly into her underarms like she expected, and the booty shorts didn't ride up in any way, but she just wanted something to complain about because he got to wear his normal vest and baggy shorts.

Natsu smiles hugely and says, "Because I can only do my best in these. They tried putting me in some costume. It did not work."

Lucy pouts by putting out her lip, "Ugh, fine…how many acts until ours?"

Natsu shrugs, "Three, I think…could be wrong though."

Lucy growls and turns away, "Stupid, doesn't even know when he is preforming in a damn circus!" She mutters to herself, crossing her arms across her busty and slightly exposed chest. She suddenly feels a heat behind her, and she goes stiff.

"What did you call me, Luce?" Natsu's voice growls behind her, and Lucy leaps around to face him, eyes as wide as dinner plates.

"N-nothing, Natsu, nothing at all! Ha, ha…" She rubs the back of her neck nervously at the dark smirk he had and says, "Anyway, shouldn't you be off playing with Gray or something?"

Natsu shakes his head, "No, he's on now."

Lucy squeals and races over to the curtain, opening it a bit so she could watch the ice alchemist in action, "Oh, I remember seeing him last time and it was so cool! I wonder what he's going to do this time…"

Natsu scowls and shifts his weight, "Probably nothing good. He'll never be as cool as-"

"Shhh, be quiet Natsu, Gray-san is walking into the ring!" Lucy says, brown eyes going wide as she claps her hands with the crowd as Gray walks out into the main ring, shirtless as always, but she could tell neither he nor the women in the crowd minded, and personally, neither did Lucy. Gray was a handsome man, even if his personality was less than so. Even with the tendency to rip off his clothes with knowing it, he was still a great mage with beautiful and deadly magic, and a great man even if he didn't act like it at times. She finds her eyes going down to his 6-pack chest and her mouth begins to water, _Oooh he is so hot…_ She snaps out of her gaze at a great heat behind her, and she turns around to see Natsu _on fire_. Lucy's eyes go wide and she hisses, "Natsu, stop it! You'll burn the curtain down, you idiot!"

Somehow, this just makes Natsu more angry, "Well, you can just get your _boyfriend _to stop the flames with his _amazing _ice power."

Lucy raises an eyebrow, "Boyfriend? Natsu, where the Hell are you getting this from?! And besides, this isn't the time to be arguing, we're almost on soon." She narrows her eyes at him and grinds out, "So _put. Out. Those. Flames. Now._" Her voice is dangerously low and she has a dark look on her face.

Natsu glowers at her, before growling and managing to snuff out his flames, "Fine. You just go and watch your lover boy." He turns and stalks off, fists clenching and unclenching angrily.

Lucy scowls, "What's his problem?!" She turns away to watch Gray finish his act, and growls lowly, "Stupid Natsu, making me miss it!" She pouts and crosses her arms over her chest as Gray walks over to her, a big smile on his handsome face. He stops next to her, and takes in her revealing attire.

"Nice, Lucy-san, very eye-catching. Did you like my act?" His tone is seductive and deep, drawing her near him.

Lucy blushes faintly and says, "T-thanks, Gray-san-"

"Please, just Gray." He interrupts, but not rudely.

Lucy's blush intensifies and she says, "O-okay Gray. I'm sorry but I couldn't watch it." She scowls and mutters, "Natsu distracted me by lighting himself on fire by 'accident'."

Gray stares at her, before smirking broadly, "Oh, Lucy-san, you're so dense!"

Lucy narrows her eyes, "One, just call me Lucy, and two, _I'm not dense_!" She grinds out, stomping her foot like a four year old child would do if they didn't get a toy from the store.

Gray chuckles at her and pats her on the head, "One day, you'll find out. I better stay away from you until then…and even after…" He groans and mutters under his breath, "And she was a good choice for a girlfriend. Oh, well."

Unfortunately, Lucy did not hear that last part and she fumes, "Find out what?! And why would you need to stay away from me?" Warning bells go off in her head and she backs up slightly, crouching a bit so that she could easily get in a defensive position. Did Gray know her secret? Was he just toying with her? Were they all? Was this all an act so that Lucy would let her guard down enough so that they could strike? _Maybe they poisoned these clothes! Maybe they laced poison in my make-up! Those devils, those _idiots_, if I turn up dead, Master Goliean would go psycho!_ She thought to herself.

Gray just shrugs and smiles, "I don't fancied getting 1st degree burns, Lucy. Good luck on your performance with Natsu." He suddenly leans in, catching the girl by surprise. His lips come within a hair's length of her neck, and he whispers seductively, "_I'll be watching._" He pulls himself back up and turns on his heel in one fluent motion before walking away with expert swag. Lucy reaches up and holds the spot where he had gotten close to and blushes fiercely, the color enough to rival Erza's hair.

"D-does that f-fool really think I'll be seduced by that nonsense?! As if! I am a strong, independent woman that can handle an _extremely _hot man getting close to her…" Yet even with these words Lucy finds herself still blushing, and she orders her heart to slow down. _Now that I think about it…_ She thought to herself, and she looks up at the large ceiling, _I've never been with a man in that way…never had time for it. _She ponders for a moment, before wrinkling her cute button nose, _pfft, who cares? Can't be with him in any way…even though…that _could _get me more trusted by him…or maybe I could even try it on Natsu so I don't have a jealous Rain mage trying to kill me all the time…hm, that is something I will have to look into. He's a guy, right? He has hormones, he notices women, and with my body and face it should be easy to seduce any man in this idiotic guild. _She smirks at her evil-and slightly stupid-idea and claps her hands once, cheering her brightness.

Oh, she didn't know what she was in for.

Lucy looks out of the curtain again to see Erza twirling her swords around and even putting some down her throat! Lucy can't help but gasp as Erza twirls flaming swords around her, dancing erotically and beautifully. Erza's gorgeous face is swept into the same excited smirk that everyone's is when they perform, and she ducks and kicks upwards in a graceful manner, kicking a sword to the side and catching in her bare right hand with ease. She throws it into the air to join the others that she kept catching and throwing. She suddenly throws one upwards and screams, "_Requip: Flame Empress Armor!_" And the next moment, she is an entirely different outfit, with her hair up in beautiful and complex braids. She smirks and begins to dance again, obviously loving the adoring screams of the crowd.

Lucy squeals and claps her hands as Erza catches every single sword and puts each one down her throat at the same time, and she summons more swords and begins to juggle those too! Lucy was dazzled by Erza's amazing show, and she finds herself cheering along with the crowd, laughing with child giddiness. Before the first time she came to see _Circus dé Fairy Tail_ to do some recon, she had never seen a circus-or anything else like it-before, so she still felt so amazed at everything that was happening. She hears once again noises of footsteps behind her and she turns to see Natsu, who was rubbing his hands together and smirking. She nervously raises an eyebrow and says, "Natsu stop distracting me, I want to see Erza perform! She is so amazing~!" She turns back with stars in her eyes, amazed by Erza's raw power.

Natsu swats the air with his hand and says, "Yeah, yeah, but we're going to be better! We're up next, Luce! I can't wait!"

_Oh, that's right, we are up next…with all of this excitement and Gray getting way up in my personal bubble, I forgot about it! _She thought to herself, feeling the nervous bile rise in her throat. She shifts her weight nervously from foot to foot, and she begins to bite her nails, which were exposed because the gloves she was wearing were fingerless.

Natsu seems to take notice of this, because he walks over and puts his hands on her bare shoulders, and his smirk falls into a gentle smile, "C'mon, Luce, we've practiced this over and over again. I have complete faith in you…you feel the same for me, right?"

Lucy looks up in his open onyx eyes, and immediately feels guilt spike through her. _I can't just kill their master, steal their fortune and bust the joint! I-I'm not that heartless…_

_Yes, you are Lucy_. She hears that voice in her head hiss, and she finds herself frowning deeply. She stares into Natsu's eyes for a bit, before smiling softly, "Of course I do, Natsu. Just like practice."

Natsu smirks and says, "Except no freezing up."

Lucy nods and looks down, "Except no freezing up." She quotes, but then she freezes when she feels Natsu's warm palm against her ice-cold and clammy cheek. She looks back up at him and whispers, "N-Natsu?" _God, two guys tonight getting in my space? What the fuck?!_

Natsu's smirk fades back into that soft smile and he says, "We can do this."

Lucy slowly nods, still so entranced by his eyes, "Y-yeah…" She felt weak-kneed, just being this close to him, and she wanted nothing more to do than simply lean her face into his palm and stare into his eyes forever. However, fate had different plans, for suddenly the moment is broke by Natsu looking up and cheering.

"Yes! We're next! C'mon, Luce, into position before Erza comes in and shoves swords down our throats!" He exclaims, before running off to the right side of the long curtain, getting into position. Lucy is still standing there, staring at where Natsu used to be, before she suddenly clues back into reality and nods feverishly. She turns on her heel and stands at the ready, prepared to run out and begin their act.

"_And now,_" Master Marcov's voice booms over the intercom, shushing the upbeat crowd, "_the moment you have all been waiting for, the newest main attraction in Circus dé Fairy Tail, introducing our newest family member, the Celestial Maiden Lucy, who will be preforming a double person act with everyone's favorite fire DragonSlayer,_"

"The _only_ fire DragonSlayer…" Lucy mutters.

"_The Salamander!_"The crowds cheer loudly, some even beginning to stomp their feet. Lucy gulps and clenches her fists nervously, _just like practice, Lucy, remember that! _

"_So, put your hands together for the Salamander and the Celestial Maiden in Dance of the Dragon!_" **[A/N: I know, not a creative name, but it fits what I have planned!]** Master Marcov finishes, and the reaction is instant. Lucy immediately walks out with all the graceful speed she could manage, refusing to let anyone see her weak nervousness. She smiles adoringly at the crowd, as rehearsed, and bows in the traditional Japanese style way, putting her hands flat together and bending at the hips. She comes back up, smiles again, before taking two steps directly to the right, making it look as if she was watching the crowd as a lion would its prey.

At the sounds of their sudden cheers, Lucy knows that he has walked into the ring, and she suddenly twists the left, swerving out of the way as a blast of fire came her way. The crowd _ooh_s and _aaaahhh_s adoringly, and some even scream-but mainly the first row, because someone's popcorn had caught on fire. She twists and turns easily, knowing exactly where to step. She suddenly leaps backwards as a body comes crashing down, landing on his feet. Lucy takes steps back, and her beautiful smile grows into a sexy smirk, as rehearsed. Mirajane told her every expression she was supposed to have, even while she is dodging Natsu's fire.

Natsu's onyx eyes lock on her and his fists catch on fire. He is scowling darkly, making him look even more handsome than normal. The lights suddenly dim and Lucy takes that as her queue to begin 'dancing'. Natsu roars ferociously, making the crowd go wild, and races forward as if to grab her, but she wasn't having that. She swerves out of the way with ease and grace, twirling and twisting to the left. She feels a sudden heat and turns to see his fist coming down. She smirks gorgeously and flips out of his range, landing on her toes six feet away. She looks up at him and winks before grabbing his large fist that came at her, using it to leap over it and get into his face. The crowd cheers and screams in admiration, amazed by how quick the woman was and how daring the man was. Like rehearsal, Lucy's smirk broadens and she delivers a swift kick to Natsu's head, but he ducks and grabs her leg with his other hand, which was not on fire. Her smirk drops and her brown eyes go wide as he grunts and throws her to the left, and she flies through the air. Using the technique Erza had taught her, Lucy twists her body in mid-air and lands easily on her feet, causing the crowd to cheer louder.

Natsu stares at her, before his entire arms catch on fire and he smirks dangerously at her. Lucy smirks right back and begins to circle him as a person would circle their enemy. She licks her blood red lips seductively and a bit hungrily before suddenly running at him, ponytail flowing out behind her like a golden ribbon. Natsu seems surprised at this, as he was instructed to, and he backs up as if trying to get away from the blonde. She rushes for him, brown eyes widening in fake maniac excitement, and when she gets to him, she goes to the ground and kicks at his feet. He jumps easily out of the way and brings down his fist at her head, but the slick woman moves her head a few centimeters to the left. Lucy feels the heat of his flames lick her face hungrily, but she says nothing as she falls back onto her hands and uses all of her strength to drive her legs up in a kick at his chest. The hit doesn't make contact, but it was close enough so that it looked like it did, and Natsu fell and few steps back as if it did.

Lucy shoves herself up and begins to circle him again, walking gracefully and provocatively around him. She sees him clench his fists, and she knew that was her queue to begin to 'fight' him again. She rushes at him and punches downwards at him, and he moves out of the way but into the range of her other fist. She drives her other closed hand up this time, but that misses as well, and he leaps backwards, only for her to follow with the exact same speed. The crowd cheers in approval, loving the dance like 'fight' the two were acting in. She drives herself upwards to be in his face again, and her brown eyes narrow seductively and her lips get close to his. He freezes, as if thinking about kissing her, but she flips back in a show-off kind of way, 'kicking' him in the jaw. The crowd gasps, amazed that their beloved Salamander got hit for a second time. Lucy smirks dangerously and nods slightly, giving Natsu the sign for the grand finale. Natsu nods slightly back and suddenly races at her, jumping into the air and slamming down in front of her before she could even react. The woman pretends to be surprised, when in reality, she knew exactly what he was going to do next and what she was going to do next.

He grabs her shoulders and picks her up with amazing ease as if she weighed nothing more than a tiny bag full of medium-sized rocks. She gasps loudly, brown eyes going as wide as dinner plates as the next thing anyone knew, Natsu threw her upwards, towards the acrobatic ropes above. Her stomach flips around in her stomach and she feels the urge to barf, yet she still grabs at the acrobatic bar suspended above the ring. She holds onto it and pants for a single second, before grunting and lifting herself up. She twists her body so that she could sit on the smooth metal bar, and she smirks down at Natsu. Slowly, she rises up her hand she gestures for him to come and get her. At that, the crowd cheers wildly again, edging the man to go up there and put her in her place, for _no one could beat the infamous Salamander_!

Natsu smirks up at her and his arms light on fire menacingly. Lucy eyes go wide again as he suddenly shoots a fireball at her, and she leaps off of the fire-retardant bar and grabs the nearest one with ease. She starts to swing her body back and forth, and when she builds up enough momentum, she leaps to the next hanging bar before suddenly it is hit with a ball of flames. She groans in relief and heaves herself up again, this time standing on the hard bar. She pants from exertion, before smirking down at Natsu again and waving slightly, showing that she was alright and ready to fight some more. He growls darkly and begins to shoot fireball after fireball at her, making the crowd go wild with excitement. She jumps around from bar to bar, panting harder and harder. She couldn't take much more of this, and to let Natsu know, she lets out the call that signaled she was about to drop. She screeches loudly as if one hit her, and takes in a deep breath…before wrenching her fingers open.

She falls quickly, twisting into the position she was trained to curve into. She bites her lip to keep from screaming because the crowd was already doing that for her. The crowd members scream in fear as she drops, most likely thinking this _wasn't _part of the act. As quickly as she feels the wind roaring in her ears, it is gone, replaced by the screams of the crowds. Large arms circle around her, and she feels a sudden heat. She looks up to be gazing into Natsu's dark onyx eyes, and the seductive slow smirk comes to her face as quickly as a hungry coyote chasing a fat turkey. His large, hot hand rests on her upper thigh, just where her short spandex shorts began, and he lifts her leg up slowly. She brings her arms up and put them around his neck and she draws both her face and his closer together, lips inches from each other. Lightning bolts tipped with arousal race through her at his touch, and Lucy grows confused, _I don't understand…_

_Obviously he has turned you on, stupid girl. _The voice in her head hisses in its transgender voice.

_Yeah, but that's not possible. He isn't even cute! _She lies to herself. Of course she knew he was hot, but she was just in some major denial. The crowd cheers loudly, stomping their feet and screaming loudly in admiration. Lucy feels her seductive smirk turn into a large grin and the two separate, both standing up straight. Lucy feels Natsu's hand grab her's and she turns to look at him, confusion written across her face. Natsu smiles hugely at her and squeezes her hand reassuringly, and Lucy smiles right back. They bow lowly, and then shoot back up, holding their conjoined hands in the air for the whole crowd to see. The cheering goes on for what seems like hours, with the two bowing in every direction and yelling their gratefulness. Ever so slowly, the two manage to back up and into the curtain, disappearing behind it.

Now behind the large velvet curtain, the two cheer and congratulate one another. Lucy jumps into Natsu's arms and holds him close, squealing in excitement, "Oh, Natsu that was amazing!"

Natsu smirks and hugs her back, "So cooler than Gray!" He murmurs to himself, causing Lucy to smile.

"Ooooh, Natsu, were you _jealous_ of Gray?" Lucy says mockingly.

Natsu coughs and backs up, "N-no!" His dark eyes gaze at her and he suddenly growls, "So, you're not using an honorific?"

Lucy cocks her head, "Gray's my friend, so yeah. Plus, he asked me too…then said he had to stay away from me or he'll suffer 1st degree burns! That loser, I'm not going to burn him!" She says, pouting.

At Lucy calling his rival and best friend 'loser', Natsu grins broadly, "He is a loser! I'm cooler than him, right Luce?" He gets in her face with no thoughts of personal space, causing Lucy to blush fiercely and stutter.

"S-sure N-Natsu, whatever you say." Lucy says, looking away from his intense gaze.

Natsu cocks his head to the side before catching Lucy's chin with his long fingers. She freezes as he turns to her to look at him. When she does, she finds that he is inches away from her face, and the same for his lips. Her body goes as stiff as a board, "N-Natsu? What are you doing?"

Natsu's eyes narrow a bit and he says, "Lucy…"

She gulps lowly and manages to stutter out, "Y-yeah?" She tries to ignore the pounding in her lower region and the way her legs felt like jelly. Her fists clench tightly and shake a bit, _what is he doing?!_

Natsu's gaze softens and he says, "Can I sleep in your bed tonight?"

Talk about an anticlimactic ending to an exciting night.

**OoOoOoO**

**There you have it! I hope none of you are disappointed! Were you expecting him to kiss her or something? Nah, I'm going to save that for later~!**

**Policy is still in action~!**

**PARADISE.x**


	23. Beastly

**Hey, hey, hey everyone, and welcome to Circus dé Fairy Tail chapter 23! Isn't it grand, dearies? 23 chapters! I am so amazed with myself, my friends! **

**Anywho, okay so you know how I put these NaLu moments in my story then destroy them with Natsu saying something completely stupid? I've done it twice so far, and I always thought these moments were funny in other stories, so I'm all like, "What the heck, I'll put them in my story!" And everyone gets angry at me XD because I don't turn it into a real NaLu moment ;_; I don't want anyone to be angry with me! I thought they were funny, so I put them in and personally I think it is too early to do major NaLu moments that will change Lucy and Natsu's relationship. This story is probably going to be like 40 chapters [even though I planned for only 25, but what are you gonna do, eh?] so don't worry! There will be plenty real moments and plenty fake moments just for kicks and giggles!**

**Sorry if I made anyone overly angry –sobs-**

**So, to make it up to you, I decided to add in some NaLu sweetness at the beginning! Hope you enjoy it!**

**Onto the story!**

**OoOoOoO**

She opens the window latch with ease and slips out, falling to the ground quickly and easily. Her brown eyes darken with determination as she reaches up and closes the open window. Lucy pulls up the dark hood over her head and continues at a fast pace along the side of the Fairy Tail guild. As she approaches the entrance her keen eyes spot a moving shadow and she flattens herself against the guild wall, _please let it not be a DragonSlayer…_ She thought to herself. Her prayers were answered for instead of it being someone with a sharp sense of smell; it was Cana, who was beyond drunk. She was signing some drinking song and twirling around as if the whole world was spinning in circles, which for her, it probably was. Lucy licks her lips and debates on whether or not she should knock Cana out. People who see her passed out will just assume she had far too much to drink and Cana herself is way too drunk now to remember someone attacking her. Just as Lucy was about to make her move at Cana she is drawn back into the shadows as another person walks out. It was a tall man with shaggy brown hair that Lucy has never seen before. She cocks her head and goes as silent as a mouse, breathing steadily through her nostrils and not moving a muscle.

"Cana-chan, what are you doing? Come back inside before some guy comes and tries to take advantage of your drunken state!" The tall man says with obvious concern in his voice. A lover of Cana's, perhaps?

Lucy couldn't have been more wrong because Cana giggles and says, "But _daaaaaaaaaaddddyyyyyy~!_ I don't want to back inside; the air is so cool out here!"

Cana's 'daddy' scoffs and says, "Just come back inside. We can have a drinking contest if you want."

_What kind of father offers to have a drinking contest with his own daughter?! _Lucy thought to herself in bewilderment and she watches as Cana answers, "S-(burp) sure, Gildarts….Let's go~!"

Lucy's eyes go wide, _Gildarts?! _The _Gildarts?! He's in Fairy Tail? Aw, shit…my mission might be close to impossible…_ She watches with dark eyes as the taller man leads the brown haired alcoholic back into the guild. Lucy lets go of a breath she hadn't known she had been holding and slowly slinks out of the shadows, treading softly in case someone might hear. There is loud laughter coming from the guild and she takes that opportunity to race off down the street, the sounds of her hurried footsteps drowned out by the loudness of the rowdy guild. She reaches up and clutches her hood so it won't fall off as she sprints towards her destination. She speeds down the street and stops at a large sign,

_Prison-2 miles west_

_Town Hall-3 blocks north_

_Graveyard-5 blocks east_

Lucy smiles softly, _good, it's close! _She thinks to herself before turning right and racing eastward, black cloak streaking out behind her. She runs for about two blocks before she is forced to slow to a walk because of exertion. She pants slightly and wipes her forehead with the back of her hand and brings it back sticky with sweat. She keeps on walking for the last three blocks, passing store after store. Her footsteps make light noises on the cobblestones and she winces. She wanted to make no noise at all, it would be better for a whole lot of people if she didn't. Finally she reaches her destination, Magnolia Town Graveyard. Her mouth is an expressionless line as she jumps over the gate to keep from making too much noise. She continues to walk on past tombstones sticking out of the wet soil. She frowns as she begins to inspect lettering on the tombstones, looking for one in particular.

"Cillus…Cillus…Cillus…ah!" She says as she spots a small tombstone near the edge of the dark graveyard. She walks towards it, reaching deep into the pocket of her pants to grab hold of a cold chain. She pulls out her mother's small ruby necklace and she holds it up in the glittering moonlight. She stares at it for a moment, before scoffing lightly and setting it down on the tombstone. She backs away from the victim's tombstone and she turns completely away, _now Chestlie will take the blame for Mr. Cillus's murder, and I'm in the clear! _She smirks at one horrid chapter in her life coming to an end before walking away from the tombstone and out of the ghostly graveyard.

OoOoOoO

Lucy ended up letting Natsu sleep in the same bed as her, but only because he used those big eyes of his while begging, and now, she was seriously regretting it. He snores loudly in her ear which makes it impossible for her to sleep, and his right arm and leg were strung over her and holding her tightly to him. Lucy feels a growl build in her throat, "I-I am not a damn teddy bear!" She hisses to herself, not wanting the DragonSlayer to wake up and repeat last morning's events. She sighs heavily and stares out the window over his head, watching the bright stars twinkle in the sky. She watches them for a while before slowly peering down at his ruggedly handsome face. She takes in his soft yet slightly chapped lips and tan skin and slowly brings up her hand. Her index finger lightly touches the curve of his chin and she begins to trail her finger along the line of his strong chin. She suddenly rises it up and rests her finger against the corner of Natsu's closed left eye and she trails around it, smiling softly. She stares at his closed eyes for a while, before she felt something nagging her eyes downward. Her big brown eyes slowly look down to be staring at his slightly opened mouth. She feels his hot breath on her face and she feels her smile growing bigger, _why do I feel this way? He is just a boy…_ The thoughts hurt her almost physically, leaving her breathless and she moves her finger away from his face as if it were on fire. She blinks rapidly before trying to turn in his vise-like hold so that she was no longer facing him. _Why am I so entranced by him? I've seen his face in dozens of expressions before…so why is this look of peace so different?! _

Natsu grunts in his sleep as she moves and his grip tightens around her, drawing a squeak from the young woman. She is now stuck half-way turned from him with his face in her neck. She sighs heavily and leans against the large pillow he had stolen from her and closes her eyes. Maybe if she just blocked him out she could go to sleep…

OoOoOoO

Yawning heavily the young lad stretches out his arms. Natsu's big onyx eyes slowly open to be staring down at a sleeping beauty in his arms. His eyes go wide and he takes in Lucy's features; blonde hair-no, more like _golden_ hair-, slightly pale skin, high cheekbones yet she still has delicate features…_she's beautiful._ A voice says in his head, but he quickly shakes his head, "B-beautiful?! I-I can't be thinking that about my best friend…sure I can't deny that she is a pretty woman b-but I cannot be calling my best friend beautiful…" Natsu mused to himself in a whisper. He looks down at his arms, which were encircled around Lucy's petite waist and his leg was looking as if it were holding her down. He can't help but smile at the scene before taking off his leg and unwinding his arms from around her. _Cannot be thinking this way…it's not as if she's my destined mate or anything! She's your best friend, man, get it together! _He shakes his head again, still creped out that he thought Lucy beautiful-_even though she _is_!_

"Stop it man!" Natsu hisses at himself before scooting to the far edge of the bed. Lucy moans softly in her sleep and moves her arms slightly before going still again. Natsu freezes but relaxes once Lucy stops moving. He stares at the back of her head, making faces out of her hair strands. Smiling softly he reaches over and takes a lock of her golden hair and brings it up to his nose, taking a delicate sniff. Immediately he is baffled just by how _good_ she smelled, a mixture of vanilla and starlight, if starlight had a scent. He sniffs a bit more and becomes puzzled by another scent stuck in her hair. _Soil…dirt…_ His eyes go wide as he realizes exactly what he smelled; _she's been to the graveyard?! Tonight too…why would she need to go there? _He thought to himself in his confusion and he lets go of her hair as she moves again, groaning this time. He sees her stretch and his light brown eyes open to stare up at the white ceiling. She yawns loudly before sitting up and cracking her neck as if she had many kinks. Her brown eyes slide over to him and he is bewildered by the coldness found there. Her eyes held no emotion, not even exhaustion that comes after sleep, and looked as if she were calculating something. Her eyes stay this way for a simple second before they go soft and bright, but Natsu saw it all. He saw the cold calculation there, he saw the stoic emotionlessness.

_What is wrong with Lucy? _He thought to himself as he stares at the young woman who smiles at him kindly as if she hadn't been so evil looking earlier.

"Oh, good morning, Natsu! How did you sleep?" Lucy asks the DragonSlayer with a sweet voice, one that should belong to an Angel, but instead belonged to Lucy.

Natsu faintly says, "G-good."

Lucy's smiles turns bright, "Excellent! Do you want to go on a mission today?"

Natsu stares at her for a moment longer, before saying in a stronger voice, "Sure, Luce. You can pick it out."

Lucy smiles and cheers lightly before getting out of bed, in a more cheery mood than usual. Usually in the mornings Lucy was grumpy and tired, but not this morning. She was bouncy, excited even, as if she had been given good news about something that caused her great pain for some time. Confused by this, Natsu shakes his head before getting out of the bed himself, watching as Lucy hums to herself while getting clothes to put on. She turns to him, winks and says, "Oh Natsu, you aren't a peeping tom, are you? Of course, I can't blame you for wanting a look at this." She gestures to her rather _generous_ body and winks again.

Natsu is immediately flustered and he stutters out, "N-no!" He crosses his arms across his well-toned chest before walking past Lucy and out of her room. His ears pick up Lucy's laughter as leaves and he grumbles to himself. He pauses in the surreal dorm hallway and stares down at the ground, pondering, _what was up with that evil look in her eye? It was as if she was a whole other person…_

OoOoOoO

Lucy stares after Natsu, still smiling. She laughs loudly; as if his reaction had amused her, but truthfully, she was confused by his look of almost fear he had when he looked at her earlier. "Did I slip up?" Lucy questions herself in a small whisper while heading into her bathroom for a bath. She rubs a hand down her face and sighs heavily, "All of this will be the death of me…ugh." She quickly strips of her polka-dotted P.J.s and throws the clothing off to the side without even a single glance at where they landed. She lastly peels off her underwear before reaching over and turning on the facet to her bathtub.

She slips in once the bathtub is filled to the brink, sighing delightedly at the familiar feeling of steaming water. She tilts her head back onto the edge of the tub and stares up at the ceiling, expression of delight slowly slipping away into one of bitter coldness. _Natsu looked so frightened earlier…did I do something? Did I sleep talk?! _Her mind comes up with so many different scenarios, some ending perfectly and others…not so much. She closes her big brown eyes and sighs heavily, banishing the thoughts from her mind. She hums a bit in the back of her throat before a sudden sound gains her attention. She curiously looks up and cocks her head to the side, debating whether or not to investigate the sound. She decides against it and lays her head back down on the tub's edge once again, this time feeling an uncomfortable uneasy sensation deep in her gut.

Suddenly, the blonde's acute nose picks up the strong scent of metallic copper and she freezes. She would know the smell of blood anywhere. Her eyes snap open again and she lifts her head up to glance around herself and to her horror, her eyes are met with a river of red. Her doe eyes go wide more in surprise than actual fear as she shoots up into the sitting position. The crystal water that had once been her bathing water was now blood, and it was _everywhere_. She glances around the room, seeing nothing but red splattered walls and crimson tiles. Lucy begins to hyperventilate as she raises up her hands form the blood in her tub and stares at them in horror, seeing blood drip from her fingers and palms. She looks up as her bathroom door opens, and there, smirking proudly, was Natsu.

He was covered in blood from head to toe, all leading up to the head of the decapitated Master Marcov. His expression was one of pure fear, mouth still open in a silent scream. Lucy can't even make words through her horror, and all the while Natsu is still grinning at her. Tears spill out of the corners of Lucy's eyes and Natsu turns confused, "Luce? I thought this is what you wanted!"

Lucy only has the strength to faintly shake her head, and her eyes were still on Master Marcov's head. It was bleeding from a fleshy stump that she concluded used to be where he was attached to the rest of his body. She gulps heavily as the tears fall faster, yet she doesn't utter a sound.

Suddenly, his gaze becomes bitterly sad and his bottom lip quivers, "See what you made me do, Luce?" He stares at the ground for a long while, letting Lucy bathe in the suspense, before his head suddenly shoots up, showing a once handsome face turned ugly by a furious scowl. When his mouth opens to speak again, she is blown away by the size of his usually small canines, almost touching his bottom lip. Blood drips from his mouth as he screams in a monstrous voice, "_SEE WHAT YOU MADE ME DO?!_"

Lucy screams loudly and covers up her ears, all her emotions dammed up by shock finally bursting free. She screams over and over again in pure fear, shaking her head from side to side, "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, _NO_!" Natsu's cruel laughter rings in her ears as she screams, and in his hand flashes the blade of the knife, still coated in Master Marcov's blood…

The blonde Celestial mage wakes with a start, gasping for breath as if she held her breath for the longest time. She pants heavily and looks down at the bathwater in her tub, splashing the water around quite a bit. Her eyes go up, searching her bathroom. Nothing is covered in blood as she investigates, and she feels her heartbeat slowing down from the horrid rabbit beat it had before. Her pants begin to slow down to normal breaths and she stares over at the closed door to her bathroom where the dream Natsu had been standing. Her naked body begins to shake and she quickly reaches over and pulls out the cork to her bathtub, not caring if she hasn't fully washed her body yet.

OoOoOoO

The second the blonde Celestial mage enters the main guild, a call rings out to her. Lucy turns to her left to see Erza coming towards her, frowning sternly. She gulps loudly as the scarlet haired monster reaches her and she says lightly, "H-hey what's up, Erza?"

Erza's brown eyes narrow and she says in her usual dominating tone, "I have some questions for you, Lucy."

_Shit, she's onto me. Reschedule this little interview for a later date. _"Oh, I don't know Erza, I'm extremely busy. Can't we do this at a different time?" She turns away to leave but Erza's armor-clad hand wraps around her forearm, stopping her in her tracks. Lucy's big brown eyes narrow into a cold look of cold calculation before.

"This will only take a minuet Lucy, please, I need answers." Says Erza in a pleading tone. Lucy sighs lowly before turning around and smiling kindly at the Titania.

"Sure Erza!" Lucy says sweetly before letting Erza drag her away to a table in the far back of the room. They pass screaming guild members and loud arguments before they finally manage to make it to the table Erza was headed for. Once there Erza sits Lucy down in a rickety chair before sitting down in front of her, dragging out a chair and falling into it with graceful ease. Lucy's fist clench underneath the table top as Erza begins.

"Where were you the night of Mr. Cillus's murder?" Erza demands as she stares into Lucy's eyes, looking for any sign of deceit.

Lucy doesn't even blink, "Here…" She looks up as if thinking. "I remember going to practice for the circus and then going to bed. What is this about, Erza?" Her gaze goes back to Erza's and she forces herself to look confused.

The scarlet haired Requip mage frowns deeply and says, "I'm asking the questions. Can anyone verify that you were here that night?"

"Yeah, Natsu." Lucy says with ease.

Erza nods to show that she understands, "Ah…okay. Onto another issue, how did you know that Chestlie Vix was impersonating Lissana-san?"

Lucy's gaze doesn't even waver, "She was wearing my Take-Over amulet." She takes off the mentioned amulet and shows it to Erza. The emerald gleams in the lights of the guild as Erza inspects it.

"So Chestlie Vix stole it?" Erza questions while raising an eyebrow as if she did not believe Lucy.

The blonde nods her head and says, "Yes! You can ever ask Natsu. The night my amulet was stolen he had demanded that I allow him to sleep in my room with me because he smelled a scent that belonged to no one in the guild."

Erza nods, "Hm, okay. I will verify this with Natsu later. Why didn't you report your possessions being stolen the second it happened?" Her suspicious demeanor is back in full glory and Lucy finds herself resisting the urge to laugh at Erza's ignorance.

"Because I had the feeling the thief would return to the crime scene. Apparently I was right, and the second I saw the amulet, I began to plan how I would get it away from her without the use of violence so that none of you would think I was jealous or something!" She giggles as if it were all some big joke before saying in a serious tone with almost sad brown eyes, "Unfortunately I never did get the opportunity to reclaim what was mine through sneaky ways, and when I had said something to her, she attacked me. You know the rest, Erza."

The scarlet haired woman takes this into consideration for a moment before she says, "You and Chestlie Vix said something peculiar while fighting. You said you two fighting was your 'father's will'. What does this mean, Lucy?"

_Shit…back-up story, now. _Suddenly Lucy's eyes get teary and she wipes at them furiously like a child, startling Erza and breaking her suspicious shell. Lucy's big, watery eyes lock onto Erza's and she begins her sad-yet-never-true-story, "C-Chestlie…is my step-sister. When I was young, my parents died and I went to foster home after foster home, but I always ran away because none of them were right for me. Eventually I ran away for good, into a whole other city, in fact. It was there I was found by father. My 'father' was a mage, a powerful one at that, and I think that is what drew me to him. I always had a thing for power…anyway; he took me off the cold streets and a life of thievery and any other job I could get my hands on. He took me to his mansion, and immediately I felt at home. I met Chestlie and we bonded instantly. A few months later, my power of Celestial Spirits came up and father took more of a liking to me than his own daughter Chestlie and…" Lucy sniffs, knowing that the concept of this story was true but not the details. Sadness piles in her gut at the memories of growing up oblivious to her step-sister's own excruciating pain. "Father trained me every day and completely neglected Chestlie, and I know I should have said something, but father…I loved him so much and his attention meant the world to me.

"After a while, it had come my father's attention that Chestlie got someone else to train her, and she had become just as strong as me. My father took a liking to the idea of Chestlie and I sparring, and we did. He would push us so hard that we would nearly kill each other each time we sparred." Lucy shakes her head and sighs heavily, wiping furiously at her eyes once again, "He told us that one day we would be forced into combat…and that day was yesterday. Chestlie's idiocy led her to her own demise at the hands of justice, and for that I do not feel the least bit sorry for her." Lucy looks at the table and says in a quivering voice, as if she were about to cry, "Anymore questions, E-Erza?"

"Why would Chestlie Vix wish to come here and impersonate Lissana-san?"

Lucy shrugs, "Probably hoping to steal you all away from me." She chuckles, "Revenge in the form of theft…how savage, yes?" She looks up to stare in Erza's eyes, resisting the urge to let her devil smile show through her charade of sadness. "C-can I leave now, Erza?"

Erza's eyes grown sympathetic and she reaches over to pat Lucy on the hand comfortingly, making Lucy smile softly. "Yeah, Lucy, you can. If you need me, just holler."

Lucy nods and smiles hugely, "Thanks Erza! You're a great friend!" She makes her voice extra sugary, icing on the cake. Erza smiles and shrugs as Lucy stands up abruptly. She turns and walks away from the table, leaving Erza behind to collect her thoughts. Now if the scarlet-haired female had just looked after Lucy for a little longer, she would have spotted the evil and smug devil smile that turned Lucy's gorgeous features beastly.

**OoOoOoO**

**I hoped you enjoyed this chapter! Review, if you will! And I found the perfect theme song for this story! 'Closer to the Edge' by Linkin Park. It is about someone who deceives and manipulates the singer, and I figured the singer could be Natsu singing about Lucy, but then Lucy is the one screaming 'shut up!' later in the song at Natsu.**

**Review if you have any other good songs for this story!**

**Peace!**

**PARADISE.x**


	24. Disturbed

**Hey-o everyone! Sorry for the extremely long wait! I got grounded and shit and my rents took my computer away. BUT FEAR NOT! My best friend, the totally awesome fergilicious, amazingingly self-proclaimed GOD OF GAMES, and who was in this story in those mission chapters but he is not a douchebag, my BFFFFFFFFFFF Cj let me get on his computer and update CDF! Har-de-har-har. Anywho, enough of my rambling, onto the story! I will try not to make any mistakes while using this piece of crap keyboard.**

**Cj: "Hey! I resent that…"**

**Lol, enjoy!**

**OoOoOoO**

After speaking with Erza, Lucy came to the conclusion that she would do everything and anything in her power to make sure no one would ever suspect her again. As she walks away from the Titania, her eyes instantly lock onto Natsu, who was speaking animatedly with Happy. The smug smirk falls from her face and is replaced with a large friendly grin. "Oi, Natsu! Happy!" She calls out to the two. They turn to her and immediately they both smile at her. Her milk-chocolate eyes land on Natsu's face and she takes in his look of trust. He really trusted her, he really considered her a friend? He barely knew her a month and he already looked at her in such a way? His mind baffled Lucy. She feels her smile fall a bit as she nears them, _He really trusts me, doesn't he?_

_This is good, Lucy, _Her inner voice decides to speak up, its monotonous voice chilling her to the bone, _the less he knows, the better. _

Lucy frowns softly, now staring at the floor of the guild. _You're right…so right…_The voice does not answer, leaving Lucy to her own thoughts. She looks back up at Natsu and Happy, who both looked confused. She flashes them a reassuring smile, and they smile back. _Wow, these two have to be the stupidest people in the world. Even someone as dense as Natsu should have noticed something is off about me…they're fools. _Suddenly, Lucy feels a deep, burning rage in her gut towards their ignorance, their arrogance that no one would ever _dare _go against Fairy Tail. She clenches her teeth as she feels laughter build up inside of her. _Their stupidity amuses me! I can't wait to see their faces as I take their fortune and run for the hills! Ah, I'm going to be _bathing _in money! _She quickly imagines herself in a large tub overflowing with jewel notes and coins. She lifts her bare leg out of the currency and washes it down with a wad of hundreds of jewel notes mashed together to resemble a loofa. She giggles heartily as she finally reaches the two and she says sweetly, "How are you two?"

Natsu smiles at her and stands up, "Doin' great, Luce! So…" He leans towards her, "What did Erza want?" Happy leans in as well, big eyes going even wider.

Lucy giggles softly and says, "Just had some questions for me! Nothing too scary. I don't see why you two are so scared of her, she's so sweet!" She begins to chuckle merrily at their dumbstruck expressions. She runs had hand through her loose blonde hair before sighing heavily, "We should go on a mission or something. I feel like getting out." _Getting out before Chestlie confesses to Mr. Cillius' murder in my place. _She thought to herself, finishing her own sentence.

Natsu grins broadly, and Happy mirrors it, "Aye, sir!" They both say in unison.

"I'm not a sir…" Lucy mutters, sweatdropping.

Natsu chuckles before taking Happy and rushing over to the Mission Board to pick out a job. Lucy smiles after them before turning to Mirajane, who was at her post behind the bar counter. She smirks at her and says in her sugary-sweet voice,"Yo, Mira-chan!" She gives a little wave, almost like Natsu would.

Mirajane's big blue eyes sparkle happily, "Aw, you're so cute! Now you're acting just like him!"

Lucy cocks her head to the side, "Hn? I do not act like Natsu!"

A devil smirk comes to the barmaid's face and she says silkily, "I never said you were acting like Natsu."

As her face explodes in a blush, Lucy slowly backs away, "W-whatever!"

Mirajane laughs a bit as she watches her friend blush and stutter. She obviously had it bad, "Oh Lucy-san, if only you knew. Anyway, so how has your day been so far?"

Lucy shrugs, "Well I was interrogated by Erza, but other than that my day has gone smoothly."

Mirajane smiles, "That's good..." A moment of silence pasts and suddenly Mirajane frowns and says seriously, "Hey I want-no _need_ to know something..."

Lucy looks at her in surprise and says, "Sure, what is it?"

The barmaid leans forward and questions, "How did you know that woman was acting like my younger sister Lissana?"

The blonde Celestial mage cocks her head to the side before she says simply, "I'll tell you what I told Erza, she had my Take Over amulet-" She reaches down to lift up a triangular-shaped gem on a long silver chain, showing it to Mirajane, "-using this, that girl could have impersonated anyone she wished to, as long as she wanted to. Well, as long as she wanted to until either her magic wore up or the necklace was removed. The second I saw this, I immediately knew that she was an imposters because isn't Lissana-san a Take Over mage herself? Why would she need _my_ amulet, which had been stolen from my room earlier?"

Mirajane nods and says with a sad smile, "O-of course...that was smart thinking, Lucy-san." Her sudden downcast look makes Lucy feel depressed herself, and the blonde sighs softly before reaching over and touching Mirajane's shoulder comfortingly.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Mira-chan. I'm sure Lissana was a magnificent girl and would have been a magnificent woman." She bows her head in respect for the fleeting image of Lissana. The sound of sniffling jolts Lucy's head up though, and her brown eyes connect with Mirajane's teary blue ones. Her eyes go wide and she says quickly, "O-oh, don't cry, Mira-chan! Please don't cry! I didn't mean to-" She is cut off by slender arms wrapping themselves around her chest and she is immediately crushed into the chest of Mirajane. Mirajane sobs softly into Lucy's golden hair.

"Oh Lucy-san, thank you so much for your kind words! I-I-I can't tell you how much that meant to me! I love you so much, Lucy-san!" Mirajane wails, drawing the unwanted attention of many guild members, if not all. Murmurs start up and Lucy can hear people beginning to giggle.

_I got to get this woman off of me!_ Lucy thought, and she giggles lightly, "M-Mira-chan, can't breathe!" Her face was becoming purple as the barmaid crushes her to her chest. "I love you too, Mira-chan, now let go!"

Mirajane nods and slowly lets go of the poor Celestial mage, "S-sorry, Lucy-san! N-now go on your mission!" She shoos Lucy away and walks away to the bathroom to clean up her now puffy face.

Lucy giggles and waves as her friend walks away. She turns just in time to see Natsu and Happy walking over to her. Natsu looks confused, "What was that all about, Luce?"

Lucy giggles again and shrugs, "I don't know, I just said how I was sorry about the death of her sister, and she started hugging me and crying..." She shrugs once again. She looks into Natsu's dark eyes and once she catches on to the depressed spark in his eye, she sighs heavily, "Do you want to talk about it, Natsu?" She places a delicate hand on his shoulder, and he shivers at the touch, which went unnoticed by Lucy.

Natsu stares at her for a moment before he quickly looks around. Lucy cocks her head to the side before gasping in surprise as he suddenly snatches her arm and begins to drag her towards the dorms of the guild, "Gah! Natsu! Where are you taking me?" He doesn't answer her but instead continues to drag her along. Guild mates stare after them, some already coming up with perverted rumors and jokes about the two. Happy flies along with them, looking completely content with the situation. Giving up on fighting against the distinct superior strength he had compared to her's, Lucy sighs heavily and lets her body go limp, and Natsu is barely effected. He continues to drag her, taking a sharp left and heading down the boy's side of the dormitory hallway. All the way to the back, Natsu brings her to a door labeled '_Salamander_', and she instantly recognized it as his room. Natsu busts open the door before practically shoving Lucy into the room. She trips inside and turns to Natsu, a dark scowl on her face.

"Hey! What the Hell was that fo-" She cut off by arms suddenly wrapping themselves around her shoulders and a head burying itself in her bosom. Lucy's eyes go wide as she stares down into the pink mess that was Natsu's hair, "N-Natsu? W-what are you doing?" Her face heats up and she does not dare move. _And his head is on my breasts! Oh my God! _Her legs felt like jelly, and she found it physically exhausting to stand. Her face goes as red as Erza's hair as she feels a shiver run down her spine delightfully, making something heat up in her gut and coil lower. "H-hey! Answer m-me!" She stutters.

When a shudder runs through Natsu and his broken whimpers reach her ears, Lucy's eyes go wide. His low whisper is sad and almost..._lonely_ sounding, "L-Luce...I miss her so much!" He suddenly wails, voice muffled by her skin. He wasn't exactly crying, for tears were coming, but still his whimpers were enough to break her heart.

"Oh Natsu..." Her arms wrap around his body, and she presses her warm cheek against his surprisingly soft, unruly hair. "I'm so sorry...I wish I could have prevented her from taking advantage of you..."

"No," Natsu says, his voice shaky, "I should have noticed the slight difference to her scent. She smelled...different, as if she'd been rotting and only covered up most of the scent with L-Lissana's..."

Lucy could tell it was difficult for him to even say her name, and she gently guides him over to his small bed. She sits him down, having no choice but to sit next to him, having his head still on her ample chest. His arms tighten around her and Lucy gasps in surprise, "N-no, you shouldn't blame yourself, Natsu. It is my fault that I didnt immediately investigate my amulet being stolen. I g-guess I was just curious to see who took it...I thought of it kind of like an experiment to see how long it would take for both myself and everyone else to realize she wasn't the real thing...God if only I-"

"Stop it, Lucy." Natsu's harsh tone reaches her, and Lucy stares down at him in surprise.

"N-Natsu?"

"Do not try to make me feel better by putting all the blame on yourself. It wasn't your fault, it was mine...for becoming so weak..." Natsu says before he lets go of her and sits straight up, refusing to look into Lucy's eyes.

_I miss the warmth..._The thought rushes through her head without her permission, and she finds herself blushing once again. "Weak? Natsu, you are _far_ from weak. You are the strongest person I know." _Except Master Goliean, of course! _

Natsu stares at her, finally making eye contact, "Y-you really think so? I let myself fall into her illusion...I should have been more suspicious. A long dead friend appearing out of nowhere? Not likely, but I was so happy...I was thinking we could all form one big team, you, Happy, Lissana and I...I was so estatic to have her back..."

A deep sadness suddenly pulls at her, and Lucy almost feels _jealous_ of the deceased Lissana. But that was ridiculous! Jealousy towards someone who is dead? That was below even Lucy, yet still, she felt it boiling deep within her gut. Obviously her partner and best friend still had strong feelings towards Lissana, and which ever ones they were, she knew they could affect their partnership. "Natsu...what was Lissana-san to you?" Her voice is tiny, as if fearing his answer. She refuses to look at him, and her eyes bore into the ground. Happy flies over to her and clings to her shoulder, looking just as sad as Natsu. _Even Happy adores Lissana more than me...I cannot compete with her...and she's dead! _

She could feel Natsu's gaze on her, and she begins to tremble. He made her feel so weak-kneed-even while they were sitting down! "Lucy..." She hears a sigh and she glances at him to see him with a tiny smile on his face, "Lucy, Lucy, Lucy...Lissana was my best friend, other than Happy. I loved her, as I love all my _nakama_." His smile is knowing, which makes Lucy a little scared.

Lucy stares at the ground again, "But surely _more_ than just friends, yes? I saw her pictures, she's gorgeous...didn't you feel anything romantic towards her? Even a dense lug like you can handle romance, can't you?" Her tone is harsh towards the end of her questions, and she flinches at her own voice. _God, couldn' you say that like you _aren't _jealous of a dead girl? Yeesh! _

"Hey! I ain't no dense lug! Besides..." He sighs again, "No, Lucy, I didn't like her _romanatically_..."

Lucy looks up at him, "So you actually understand what romance means? Wow, I'm impressed, Natsu!"

Natsu rolls his handsome onyx eyes at her, "Whatever. I ain't deaf, you know. I hear things throughout the guild, you know, about people's own romances. I put the pieces together."

Lucy giggles, feeling relieved for some odd reason, _it's not as if I like him or nothin'! I just didn't want his feelings for her to blind him from my friendly advances to get him to trust me more! Yeah, that's it...all for the sake of the mission._

_That's right, Lucy. All for the mission. _

OoOoOoO

After the touching moment between Lucy and Natsu, they had exited the room, heading back out into the guild hall again. The second they enter, a mocking call rings out, "Hey, flame-brain! Why don't you stop clinging to Lucy and come fight me like a real man!"

Lucy looks over to see Gray in all of his naked glory. Of course, Lucy was far used to this now. She sighs before growling out, "Put some damn clothes on, you pervert!"

Natsu glances at her before smirking hugely, "Yeah, listen to Lucy, slanty-eyes!"

Gray looks down and shrieks before running off to find some clothing. He finds his boxers and pants very quickly this time and throws them on before launching himself at Natsu, almost catching Lucy in the cross-fire. She squeals before diving out of the way, behind a pillar, "You jerks! You almost got me!" But the boys ignore her, throwing themselves into a harmless little battle as they always do the second they lay their eyes on each other. Sighing heavily, Lucy pushes herself off the ground and carries on over to the bar, seeing Mirajane in her usual spot, cleaning glasses. Everything was normal. Too normal if you ask Lucy. Something was about to happen, this Lucy was certain of.

And sure enough, just then the front doors to the guild burst open and in walks a tall man wearing the traditional police officer's uniform. He has a serious look on his face as he calls out, "I need to speak with the head of the murder investigation of a Mr. Cillius!"

Erza steps forward, setting down her cake-covered fork next to the large dinner plate piled high with different slices of cake. She walks towards the man and bows her head, "Greetings, officer. I am Erza Scarlet, the head investigator of this case."

The man looks at her and bows back, a bit lower than she, "Ma'am, we have found out the identity of the culprit!" The entire guild goes silent at his words. Even Grey and Natsu stop their fighting to pay attention.

"Oh? Who is it?" Erza says, obviously interested, and probably disappointed she didn't get to catch the criminal and solve the case herself.

"A suspect we already has in custody for the crimes commited here, actually." Now this catches Lucy's attention. Her eyes narrow in smug triumph and a devious smirk comes to her beautiful face, almost turning her ugly. _Oh, this is just too great! _

"Her name is Chestlie Vix. She confessed to the murder and robbery of Mr. Cillius."

**OoOoOoO**

**DUN DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN! Sorry if there is a little red line underneath words. My computer glitched. It was either post it like this or not post it for another two days! I hoped you enjoyed this chapter and the NaLu moment I threw in there!**

**REVIEW!**

**PARADISE.x**


	25. Death Sentence P1

**Hey everyone and welcome to chapter 25 of Circus de Fairy Tail! For the guest who told me I should change the rating from M to T, the profanity in my story is enough to give me a T rating, adding in all the violence and soon steamy lemons [not so far in the future –wink, wink-] it easily scales OVER a rating of M. Did you know it is technically against site policy to post lemons? I know…weird…**

**Anywho, a big THANKS to everyone who reviews, thank you for your continued support and the kindness you all show me! You make my life better when I read those reviews! Thanks for everything, guys!**

**I hope you all enjoy this chapter to Circus de Fairy Tail, suspiciously named **_**Death Sentence P.1 **_**….sorry for not making it just one word like I usually do.**

**Also, a big thanks to ****SakuraIchigoDark**** for giving me the idea for the upcoming chapters…hehehehe…hahahaha…MWAHHAHAHAHAHAHAH…-cough- Thanks! This chap and the next are dedicated to you!**

**Anywho, onto the story!**

**OoOoOoO**

_Oh this is so wonderful! Everything is going exactly to plan! With all attention on Chestlie's 'confession', no one will suspect a thing for me! Hey, I bet no one will notice me if I slip away as well! Oh this is just too great! Master would be proud of me…even if I did put his only child behind bars…she'll break out though. She always does. _The master thief thought to herself as she stares over at the group that surrounded the police officer, some asking questions, and others-like Erza- _demanding_ answers. Lucy can't help the twitch of her lips as she tries her hardest to suppress the demonic smirk that threatened to surface and give her away. Her milk-chocolate eyes darken with smug triumph as she stands up from her usual spot at the bar and begins to trot over. She quickly wipes all happiness from her face and instead forces her lips into a deep frown and her brows to crease in mock worry. She pushes past people until she was at the very front; _I'm going to have to make a scene of this if they are to believe it. Go for the frantic look. _

"What the Hell is going on with Chestlie?" Lucy says, voice rising near the end as if she was upset. She catches the attention of the police man easily, but mostly because he would choose anyone over Erza to talk to at the moment. She makes eye-contact with him and refuses to let go of it.

He looks confused that she would be upset by this, considering he probably knew that Chestlie had attacked her, "She confessed to the murder and robbery of Mr. John Cillius. Is something wrong?"

Lucy's body begins to shake as if she was angry and she roars, "Of course there is something _wrong_! _MY SISTER DID NOT KILL ANYONE!_" She launches herself at the police officer, too quick for anyone to stop her. She forces him up against the wooden wall of the guild, grabbing the collar of his uniform shirt, "Listen here, you have the wrong woman. Chestlie would never hurt a fly, more or less _kill_ someone!"

The police officer is surprised and he stares down at her with a look of fright. He knew she was a mage, and had no idea what powers she possessed. He wasn't about to take his chances and shove her off, "B-but, ma'am, didn't she attempt to murder you?"

Lucy snarls, getting in his face, inches away from him, "No! She just assaulted me, she wouldn't kill me! It was just a little feud between sisters and everyone had to go _and stick their big noses into it!_" She screeches, eyes like liquid chocolate from the rage she forced to the surface. A hand suddenly clamps down on her shoulder and she is ripped away from the man, thrown to the ground like she weighed no more than a doll. She whips around on the ground to be staring into the dark eyes of Erza, who was scowling.

"Lucy, you dare attack a police officer? That is a capital offense!" Erza snarls, her blade already at the young woman's throat. The entire room is silent, watching the confrontation with huge eyes.

Lucy scowls right back at Erza, "I don't care! Chestlie is my sister and I know her by heart, she would never, _ever_, murder someone! More or less in the brutal way the murder happened! You know nothing about her! You don't know _anything_! So get that fucking sword the Hell away from me you blundering _cretin_!" As quickly as it comes out, Lucy regrets it, slapping her hand over her mouth. The crowd around them gasps, and slowly people begin to move away. Erza stares wide-eyed at Lucy, who soon becomes teary-eyes, "Oh my God…" She whispers, "I-I'm so sorry…I'm sorry…" _I might get an ass whopping for this, but at least they believe my little show. _She thought to herself as she apologizes over and over again in a broken voice to Erza, "Erza, I didn't mean it…I-I was s-so angry…"

Erza stares down at her before sighing heavily and removing the blade tip from her neck, "No, I am sorry, Lucy. I cannot possibly understand what you must be going through. I shouldn't have been so violent with you. PLEASE STRIK ME!" She bows her head in shame, preparing for a blow.

Lucy sweat drops before standing up and patting her gently on the head, "No need." She looks over at the police officer-who was still recovering from her assault. When she walks over to him, the cop flinches and she rolls her eyes, "I apologize for attacking you. I do not know what came over me. May I ask what you think the sentence will be?" Her tone polite, she tries to get the police to feel more comfortable around her.

The cop glances at the ground, gulps once, before looking up back up into Lucy's eyes and saying the sentence that would ruin her day and many days to come, "She will be sentenced to death. Her final trial is tomorrow."

_Well, shit._

OoOoOoO

Since obviously Lucy could not just let her stepsister be executed, after running out of the guild hall-making sure to look horrifically upset-and back to her room, she began to make a plan to break Chestlie out of prison before the date of her execution. She locks the door behind her, and continues into her room, knowing that if she faked sobbed to convince them even more, someone would break down the door. She sits down on her bed and concentrates, _well, can't just let the bitch die…Master Goliean would be pissed! So…hm…how to break your crazy, homicidal stepsister out of jail…do they have a 'For Dummies' on that? It didn't look like they had top notch security…what to do, what to do…_

_I could help you, Lucy. _The genderless voice inside her head whispers alluringly, and for some reason she imagines a phantom opening its shadow arms to her, inviting her to spend a night in a pleasurable Hell with it. Its voice feels like smoky cords, wrapping themselves around her and comforting her with the thought that something was looking out for her.

Lucy stares at the ground as she replies, _how so? And what do you want in return? _

_I can lend you my power…you know what we can do together._

_Yeah, like kill that poor old man? _

_I thought I was assisting you, Lucy…you were so angry about that necklace. _

_It was a stupid move. I appreciate your concern, but I didn't need your assistance then._

_Yes you did, Lucy. I exist in your mind, I feel everything you do, I know what you're thinking, and I know how you do things, so I know what you're true desires are. Think of me as your…daring side. Everything I do, I do for you. If you want, I could tell you exactly what you feel towards that DragonSlayer boy…_

Lucy feels heat come to her face, _shut up! I feel nothing for that stupid brat!_

_Whatever you say, Lucy. So how about it, kid? I can get her out for you, and all you have to do is let me out more. I get cramped in here, you know._

Lucy frowns, weighing her options. There was no way she could break into a prison and get Chestlie out with help, and the voice in her head had more than enough speed, strength and cunning to get the job done…but to risk allowing it to surface whenever it wanted to? She didn't know if she should do that. She would have no idea what the other side did in her body for she never had any memory of the times it did take over her. And what if there was a physical alteration? What if someone noticed, someone who she didn't want noticing? And since the voice runs purely on her emotions, what if someone got her angry-even the slightest bit irritated-while the voice was controlling her body, and it ended up injuring, or worse, killing them?

That was a chance she was going to have to take. She needed Chestlie alive, for Master Goliean's sake, and for her own safety. _Think, Lucy, what if someone catches you? What if someone sees you? What if…what if Natsu catches you? _The thought of seeing his handsome face morphed into a look of disbelief, or betrayal, was enough to make her rethink her plan. She sighs heavily and falls back onto her bed, staring up at the ceiling. She traces the surreal patterns in the paint before sighing again.

_I'll give you some time to think about my offer…a good nap should clear your head._ At the sound of the soothing tone of the voice, Lucy sighs happily and smiles softly, closing her milk-chocolate eyes.

_Thanks…I'm tired…_These were the last thoughts she had before the master thief falls into a deep slumber.

OoOoOoO

_His back was to her, stiff in his anger. Lucy stares up at him, bound hands pressed against her back, "Natsu!" She calls to him, thrashing in the phantom men's arms. They were too strong, she could not get away, not get to the man she has come to trust in such little time. "Natsu, please!" Tears pop into her eyes as the pain in her wrists increase, the metal mockingly cold against her bare flesh. They dig into her wrists, fusing with her skin, melting, her skin absorbing the liquid metal. "Help me, please, Natsu, help me!" She begs, pleads, anything to save her from the noose that awaited her in the other room. The tears run down her face, hitting the floor and causing a flood. The salty liquid that were her tears lap against her bare ankles, and the metal moves up her skin, going for her shoulders, for her head. She couldn't let it get to her eyes, or it would all be over. She knew that if the metal took her completely, her soul would shatter into a million pieces, and she would be dragged to Hell by the very hands of the man who created her._

_Master Goliean smirks up at her through the clear tears, waiting, watching. He knew what was going to happen. Natsu wasn't going to come, he hated Lucy, he felt nothing but contempt and betrayal towards her. The tears fall harder, raining down on her head. The metal caresses her mouth, a cruel mockery of his hands feeling her again. "Natsu….please, Natsu!" The tears that fell from her eyes turn crimson, creating a river of red. Master Goliean's hand comes up towards her, finger elongated and harboring too many joints to be human. She sobs harder, wanting nothing but to feel the DragonSlayer's hands on her again, to take her away from the Hell that awaited her. The noose was getting closer to her neck, her bloody tears staining the itchy rope. The metal was closer to her eyes now, so, so close, she could feel its icy fingers, a horrid parody of the familiar touches of Natsu. _

_His finger tips trail up her bare legs tenderly, still feigning kindness. They pass over her hips; caress her stomach, advancing past her nude breasts, searching for one thing._

_Her throat._

_Master Goliean's inhuman fingers curl around her throat and force her to her knees. She screeches, shivering at the slimy, cold touch he possessed. She cries out for death, with the knowledge it would be so much gentler than what Master Goliean had to offer. "Natsu, help me!" She screams, terrified. Master Goliean's lips come to her's and he forces them on her, ravishing her now purple lips. His voice rings in her head, racking her brain and making her dizzy,_

NO MATTER WHERE YOU GO, YOU WILL ALWAYS BE MINE.

_Mouth open in a silent scream, right arm reaching out as a sign of help towards the cruel back of Natsu, Lucy is dragged into the depths of her own tears, the metal gorging into her eyes. Natsu's head turns slightly, showing an eyeless face, lips parted slightly in one last final word._

"_Lucy…"_

She catapults awake, screaming at the top of her lungs. She claws at her face, trying to rip away the phantom metal that was never there. She continues to screech like a dying animal, shivering violent as she curls into herself. No tears come; she has done enough crying in her nightmare. "J-just a dream…j-just an n-n-n-nightmare." She whispers to herself, trying to comfort herself but to no avail. _Natsu turned around…he whispered my name…he seemed to regret leaving me behind…these dreams…they need to stop! _She thought to herself. _Calm down, Lucy, what you need is a good glass of water. _

No what she really needed was control, power. She needed control over her emotions; she needed power over the monsters that plague her dreams at night. There was no way she could get it alone, there was no way she could achieve the all powerful point she wished to be at. She needed more power, she needed more _strength_.

There was only one way to do that.

Taking a deep breath, Lucy dives deep within herself, searching for the voice that resided in her emotions. She calls out to it, trying to draw it to her. Finally, after what seems like forever, she senses it, stirring as if from a deep sleep.

_Have you made up your mind, Lucy?_

Still shaking from the dream, Lucy faintly nods, clutching her hands to her chest, _yes…_

_And…?_

_And I accept. Grant me your power, I'm going to need it for tomorrow._

She can practically hear the smile in its genderless voice as it says, _great, we set out at dawn. _

OoOoOoO

Not two seconds after the decision had been made her door is once again kicked off its hinges. It crashes to the ground, taking some of the wall with it. Lucy's eyes go wide as they connect with a pair of handsome onyx ones and she squeaks in surprise as a person flings himself into the room, crouched and ready to fend off any invader. A moment of silence passes before all Hell breaks loose in Fairy Tail.

"NATSU DRAGNEEL DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG IT TOOK TO GET THAT DAMNED DOOR FIXED THE FIRST TWO TIMES YOU BROKE IT?! YOU LITTLE JERK; I'M GOING TO KILL YOU FOR THIS!" Lucy screeches, face a furious red in her anger. She shoots to her feet, fists clenched and she marches over to the once determined Natsu, who was now cowering in fear. She lunges for him, but he is too quick, leaping onto her bed and watching her with terrified onyx eyes.

"Why were you screaming, Luce?" He demands, jumping over her head as she snatches at him. He lands in front of her dresser, knees bent and ready to spring.

Lucy clenches her teeth and hisses through them, "A bad dream, okay?"

Natsu cocks his head, "You have a lot of those, Luce…like _a lot_. Why is that?" He questions her, twisting out of the way as she tries to circle her arms around his chest.

She snarls and says fiercely, "I just too, okay?! Think nothing of it! It's natural to get scared from time to time."

"Well," He begins but is cut off as Lucy finally catches him, barreling into him and trapping him against the wall next to her bathroom door. She looks up at him, hands on either side of his chest. "If you want, I could sleep in here _every_ night with you. They say if you sleep next to someone you love, you won't have any nightmares!" He says with a big grin, not phased by how close Lucy was to him.

Just like that, Lucy's heart stopped. Her brown eyes go wide and she backs away from him, surprising the Dragon Slayer. She begins to blush like crazy and she stutters out, "E-eh?"

Natsu cocks his head to the side, "What's the matter, Lucy?"

"L-love?!" She begins to play with her hair and bite her lip, a nervous habit that she hated.

Natsu stares at her as if it is the most obvious thing in the world, "Well, _duh_, I love all my _nakama_, including you, Luce!"

_Oh…so he meant friendship love…_The sudden feeling of disappointment surprises her, and she looks everywhere but at Natsu, _why do I feel so…sadden by this? No, just ignore it, Lucy…it must be that time of the month again, just ignore hormones. _She thought to herself as she glances back at Natsu, "I guess that'll be okay…"

With a loud cheer Natsu shoves his fists into the air, laughing at his little 'victory', "Yes! Your bed is so comfortable, too!"

Lucy rolls her eyes before saying, "Natsu, do you know what time it is?"

He looks at her before scratching his head, "I think it's…6 o'clock? Yeah, at night."

She glances at her window and says, "Well I can see that, stupid…" She sticks out her tongue at him, _I was asleep for seven hours?! How the Hell does this happen? Well I do get lots of nightmares, and they have been keeping me awake…I guess I was just tired and I didn't even realize it. Oh well. _"Hey, Natsu, let's go out and do something!" She suddenly suggests, eyes wide and smile huge.

The fire DragonSlayer cocks his head to the side, "Like what?"

Lucy thinks for a moment before smirking broadly and saying excitedly, "Let's go see a movie!"

Natsu smirks and nods, "Sure, Luce! But I don't have any-"

"I'll pay." Lucy dead pans, frowning and shaking her head, "Making the woman pay, how tacky!"

"Tacky?! Lucy, take that back!"

"Nah, I don't think I will. C'mon, Natsu, I'll leave you behind!"

"Let me go get Happy at least!"

"Yeah, yeah, go!"

Then the two were off, one searching for a certain blue cat and the other tapping her foot impatiently next to the front doors of the guild.

OoOoOoO

"Why oh why did I let you two drag me to a horror flick?" Lucy whines, covering her eyes as the woman on screen screams dramatically as she is slaughtered.

Natsu laughs and cheers the killer on, "That woman is so weak she almost _deserves _what came to her!" His voice was extremely loud, as always, causing the people down in front of shush them and complain.

Lucy's face goes red with embarrassment and she says furiously to Natsu, "Keep your voice down, idiot, do you want to get kicked out?!"

The Dragon boy shrugs his broad shoulders before taking a handful of popcorn and shoving it in his mouth. He smiles at the buttery taste before offering some to Lucy, who swiftly declines and scrunches up her cute button nose at the messy substance. He shrugs again and says, "More for me!" In the same tone he had before, once again disrupting the folks in the seats at the front of the theater.

Lucy hits his shoulder with a mean look on her face before turning her attention to the screen once again. It was one of those suspenseful, slow moments where you can obviously tell the killer was around but the character on screen could not. The girl was slowly walking around a corner in her house, glancing down the what seems to be deserted hallway. Terror began to well up inside of Lucy, and she finds herself moving closer to Natsu.

He glances down at her with huge eyes before deciding to shrug it off. He looks at Happy, who was hiding behind his scarf, "Scared-y cat!" He sniggers, loving his pun. The blue cat just rolls his eyes and continues watching the movie.

The killer suddenly appears behind the girl in the movie, surprising everyone in the theater-except for Natsu who just snorts and laughs at the drama. Lucy screeches before launching herself to the side, right into Natsu's arms. She holds onto his vest for dear life with one hand, the other snaking around his waist as if she didn't she would float away. She buries her head in his rock-hard chest with a terrified squeak, ignoring the awkward position her lower body was in by her doing this.

Natsu's onyx eyes go wide as he stares down at the frightened girl. Was she really this scared of some stupid movie that she would _throw_ herself at him? He feels her shaking in her fear, and her grip becomes tighter. He glances over at Happy, who in turn stares down at Lucy. A moment passes before a devious smirk comes to the feline's face, "She _liiiiiiiikes_ you!" He rolls his tongue, surprising the DragonSlayer.

A small blush appears on his face and luckily the theater was too dark for anyone to notice, "She does not!" He exclaims, startling the people in front once again. Someone shushes him and he obliges, not wanting the girl in his arms to get angry with him again. He looks down at her for a moment before an amused smile dances across his handsome features, _she's really cute when she's holding onto me…wait what? C'mon, man, this is _Lucy _we're talking about, your best friend, your _nakama_! She isn't cute…she is just better looking than others…yeah let's stick with that! _He thought to himself quickly, trying to ignore the weird feeling in his gut.

Of course he couldn't ignore how good she looked curled up into him.

After another moment, Lucy slowly backs away from him, brown eyes wide with the realization of what she did. Her face turns scarlet and she immediately squeaks and pushes herself away from him, falling back into her seat. She scoots as far away as possible, grabbing her upper arms and staring at the screen, not really taking in what was happening. "I'm s-sorry Natsu! I-I didn't mean to just throw myself at you or nothing…" She bits her bottom lip, refusing to make eye contact with the guy who stared at her like she was crazy.

That's when she felt his arms circle around her shoulders.

Her brown eyes snap up to meet his dark onyx irises, and she manages to get out, "W-what are you d-doing, Natsu?!" If she was blushing before, it was nothing compared to the tomato of a face she has now. He doesn't answer her, only pulls her into his chest, his arms tightening around her. "Natsu!" She mutters furiously, lifting her head off his chest to stare at him.

He looks down at her before smirking broadly, "You can hold onto me when you're scared, Luce. That's what I'm here for." His onyx eyes twinkle with trust and…love? Is that what the other emotion is?

Lucy is at loss for words. She didn't know how to respond. Affection so deep towards the DragonSlayer rushes through her and the next thing she knew she was kissing his warm cheek, right next to his lips-a little too close to be all that innocent. She pulls back from the surprised boy and she says with a huge smile, "I know." She snuggles into his inviting chest, too far gone to even hear the screams of the poor woman on screen.

Just then, a cute if not annoying voice speaks up from Natsu's shoulder, "You _liiiiiike _each other!"

OoOoOoO

_Ugh how embarrassing! I let you out of my sight for one moment and you get all romantic with the Dragon boy! _The genderless voice inside of her head says, its emotionless tone almost annoying to Lucy, who was changing her clothing. She quickly strips of her flimsy miniskirt, throwing to the side in favor of a longer, thicker one with black spandex leggings underneath. She throws off her tight shirt and grabs a looser shirt made from black material, which was tight around her breasts but loose at her stomach. She grabs the long, black cloak and quickly buttons it around her neck, letting it fall down to her ankles. She grabs a rubber band from her dresser, quickly tying up her blonde hair into a tight pony tail high on her head.

_Whatever...Anyway…._Lucy takes a deep breath through her mouth, obviously nervous, "That stupid bitch…she owes me big time." She whispers, meaning Chestlie. _I'm ready now…lend me your power and strength. _

She hears a humorless chuckle resound in her mind, and she winces as it increases in sound, _very good Lucy. I will take good care of your body, my dear, enjoy your time off. _She can practically hear the smile in its voice as it speaks.

_Please, don't kill anyone? _Lucy asks of the voice, and she hears another chuckle.

_Would never dream of it, Lucy. Good night. _

Darkness begins to cloud her vision, blotting out the light in the room. Her limbs become lead, her head feeling as if it were a ton! A weak gasp escapes her before her entire world fades away, along with her consciousness.

**OoOoOoO**

**I wonder what will happen next time! XD lol I hope you all enjoyed this chapter of Circus de Fairy Tail, and may your night/day be amazing! Peace out!**

**Review!**

**PARADISE.x**


	26. Death Sentence P2

**Greetings, readers of Circus de Fairy Tail! I know, I haven't updated this story in forever…same for The Devil's Associate! I have so many ideas, I really do, but…I just haven't been up to it XP It really irks me because I know many of you are fans of that story as well, and it also makes me feel bad :'( I haven't updated The Dragon Tamer either…God, so much work!**

**Every other week, I'll be gone, by the way. Like, this week is the week of February 4th, 2013, and today is February 3****rd****-day before that week begins-, 2013, and next week I won't be able to post anything, but the week after that I will :D**

**Sorry for the wait, I hope you enjoy this chapter of Circus de Fairy Tail. BTW, this is part 2 of another little sub-plot titled **_**Death Sentence**_**! So far, Lucy has made a deal with the voice thing inside of her head. If she let the voice take control of her body more often, it will assist her in breaking Chestlie out of prison! Also, Natsu and Lucy's relationship is heating up, especially after that moment at the movie theater :D I know how much you all liked that! Now, onto the chapter!**

**OoOoOoO**

She knew better than to sneak out right after taking control of her mistress's body. The entity was very smart, very clever, and common sense told her to wait until complete nightfall, where the mortal body would be shrouded in darkness. This being was one of instinct, but even so, she knew not to just barge into whatever was in store for both her and Lucy Heartphilia. She was much cleverer than that, so much more.

She sits patiently on the pink covered bed, legs cross and hands at her side. She just sits there, not moving an inch, shark-eyes staring off into space, seeming to be staring at nothing, yet also staring at everything. As the minutes drag onto hours, she just sits calmly as the sky outside grows black with night. Just when it seems like she will never move the possessed mage woman stands to her feet, turning towards the door of the dorm room. She slowly moves over to it before stopping and glancing over at the enormous dresser in the right side of the room. She stares at it for a minute, before in a blink of an eye the creature is standing in front of the piece of furniture, still with a look of complete indifference plastered onto her face. It brings her hands down, grabbing the leg of the dresser, and with a heave she brings it up with ease. She drags it across the floor, barely noticing the dents in the carpet from her doing so. Once she reaches the door to the room, she turns for a moment and locks the door-for extra protection. She then drags the dresser as close to the door as possible with it crushing the body it influenced, and quickly moves out of the way, seeing that about two feet of space was left between the dresser and the door. If someone was to pick the lock and open the door, the door wouldn't go far, but someone small would be able to get in the room-a head would be able to as well.

Her hands encase around the two back legs of the furniture and with mighty shove, the dresser moves a foot-it would have gone farther had the floor been tile instead of carpet. The woman stands up and inspects the space with pitch black eyes, mouth a straight emotionless line. After a moment she turns from the door and continues on through the room to the large window near Lucy Heartphilia's bed, each step not making a sound due to the carpet. Lifting up her black hood with pale and slender hands, she reaches the window. How many times has Lucy Heartphilia used this to escape during the night? It was countless times now. The possessed body pulls at the lock on the window, successfully freeing it, and lifts the window plane up. There has never been any screen on the window, and she was thankful for that for now it was so easy to slip out the open window and into the black night. Darkness envelopes her, an acquaintance so eager to help her in the mission of freeing Lucy Heartphilia's stepsister-the darkness of the night was her ally.

Why wouldn't it be? Both she and her mistress were born in it.

She skits off along the side of the guild building, the tail of the long cloak fluttering out behind her. Curving her body around the bend to the front of the guild she halts, taking in the sight of a drunken…Natsu? He drinks? This was information she had not known. She presses herself against the wall, shark eyes watching him like a hawk. The pink-haired DragonSlayer stumbles a bit with a large bottle of firewhiskey in his palm, before he stops and sniffs the air, "Luce-iiieeeee?" He crackles and does his best to turn around, tripping slightly by the action. He stares at a spot directly next to the possessed mage and says with a big smile, "Sushiiieee~! I know you're thereeeee~! Come on out…." He walks towards her, face a bright red from the alcohol. The shark-eyed woman attempts to skit around him, being as quiet as the darkness around them. But it was no use; he just follows her with ease. "Luce~! Come out, I know you're trying to get by me…."

Seeing no other choice, the woman steps towards him and touches his arm gently. His arm was hot-either from the alcohol or his magic abilities-and she could almost hear the sizzle as her ice-cold skin meets his. "_Go back inside…_" She whispers, a faint drawl among the loud voices she could easily hear outside the guild. Her tone is smooth, yet as cold as ice, and this seems to get to Natsu-even in his drunken state.

His looks at her, confused, and tries to make out her features underneath her hood. He fails and says, "Lucy…you sound different…" His tone is cautious, worried even.

This only fuels her more, and suddenly she is directly in front of him, her lips inches from his. Her face turns sour by the maniacal smirk that comes to her features, "_You will be mine._" She whispers as he breathes on her. She could smell the burning alcohol on his breath, and this makes her smirk grow.

His onyx eyes widen, "W-what?" He mutters, moving his face closer to her's so that his forehead rested on her. He tries to look in her eyes, but finds that he cannot. She doesn't answer for in the next split second she is gone, racing down the path that lead to the guild. He stares after her before taking a long swig of his drink, "Lucy…" he says, completely sober, "just what are you up to?"

OoOoOoO

Their defenses were pathetic, really.

A few guards there, a couple of watchdogs here, and the occasional guard tower. They call this piece of shit a prison? Chestlie might not even need any help getting out…but the entity inside of Lucy Heartphilia's mind was quite looking forward to breaking _in _to jail. Unfortunately with the way things were going, it wouldn't pose much of a challenge to her. She slips behind a wall with ease, escaping the upcoming glare of a searchlight. She licks her lips before taking off, running directly beside the wall. Her shoulder grazes the metal as she comes to the first guard tower. She crouches in the dirt, completely blending in with the night as she watches with cold, black eyes the guards on top talk and twirl the searchlight around. With a tiny grunt she launches herself into the air, using the extra abilities that came with being her, and grabs the ledge to the wall, right underneath barbed wire. She turns her head and reaches up for the guard tower's ledge, which was so foolishly close to the top of the wall. She practically digs her nails into the metal as she forces her body up with surprising strength-especially for a girl her size.

Once her eyes go above the floor of the open guard tower, she stops, taking in their appearances and weapons. One with strange golden hair had three holstered pistols; another had a large assault rifle strapped across his back, and the third was manning the searchlight, laughing with the other two and not even paying attention to where the light was illuminating. The fool didn't even have any weapons! Were they really this arrogant that none would dare challenge them? The very thoughts filled the beast with anger, and since the entity is a creature of emotion, she is quick to react to that fury. She heaves herself up entirely into the dimly lit area, quickly snuffing out the tiny light of the lantern. Now, she knew this would most likely draw the unwanted attention of other guard towers, but she also knew that this would be over very soon.

The man with the strange golden hair is the first to attack, and she swiftly takes 'care' of him, grabbing him by the neck and snapping it in a quarter of a second. She quickly bounds over to the weaponless guard and delivers a swift kick to his jaw, knocking him out cold. She hears the last guard-the one with the rifle-begin to give out a warning call, but she easily silences him with a lethal punch to the stomach and another to the back of his neck, effectively rendering him unconscious. The men lay in heaps around her, and she can't help the deadly smirk that comes to her face. Her eyes snap up as she hears a call, "_Are you all alright over there?!_"

The lantern suddenly turns back on, illuminating the clear, bloodless guard tower. The guards lay slumped against different objects, giving off the impression they were all asleep. The guards in the other town wave it off, scoffing on how careless newbies could be. Little did they know that a woman wearing a long black cloak was already inside the prison.

She lays the bars down on the cot in the cell, making little to no noise. She turns swiftly, staring in the darkness of the empty cell. She had managed to get to the window of a ground cell, one that was unoccupied, and had used the magical brute strength she possessed to rip the bars straight out of the wall, and brought them inside with her. She looks at the closed cell door and moves towards it, reaching out to touch the cool iron. She pauses for a minute, contemplating, before an idea forms in her head. The bars were actually pretty spaced out, far more than any cell she's ever seen. She turns her body to the side so that she was facing the right wall of the cell and slowly moves towards the opening between two bars. She gets her head through with ease, and the next comes her leg, with was easy too. Now was the hard part. She glances down at the _abnormally huge breasts_ Lucy Heartphilia owned and scowls darkly, the only show of any emotion since that smirk up at the guards tower. She begins to squeeze herself through, and with a tiny sound of moving cloth, she manages to get one breast on the other side. She takes a tiny breath, feeling very uncomfortable physically at the moment, before trying the next one. She gets it through easier this time, and she swiftly draws out her leg. With a nod she sets off again down the dark hallway, going so fast that she did not make a single sound.

When she comes to the first split in the hall, she cocks her head to the side. Which way to go? There were signs…She reads them quickly,

_Cell Block A and B_

_Cell Block C and D_

Guessing that Chestlie Vix would be in Cell Block D, she takes off down the right hall, keeping to the wall opposite of the cells and in the darkness. She could hear the loud snores of snoozing men and she was glad to have them so that if by the off chance she slipped or something, their snores would cover up the sounds of her footsteps. She turns a sharp corner and stops dead in her tracks, quickly molding into the wall.

Guards were ahead, time for some more fun!

They were standing, barely alert, in front of some cells in the C Block. One guard's head even slips off his hand for a moment before he is jolted back awake by the sudden motion. This would be far too easy. Launching into action with divine ease and grace, the possessed blonde swoops upon the barely awake guard, breaking his neck with a twist of her hands. The other is jerked awake by the sound of the guard's cut off gasp, "What the-!"

He is sentence is cut off by a pair of dainty hands coming to his throat. He is pulled into the air by a seemingly unseen force and he claws at the hands holding him. Sweat drips off his face as he finds it harder and harder to breathe. Nails dig into his flesh, breaking skin and causing bleeding, and he can hear the soft sounds of breathing. His pupils dilate, his skin takes on a purple color. The woman wanted to play with this one, but sadly had no more time. She would have to end it now or risk being caught. As she prepares to twist his neck, a sudden great pain explodes in her mind. She gasps wildly, making more sound than she has all night, and falls to the ground, letting the suffocating man go. They both land in heaps, both struggling to breathe. She grasps her head and grits her teeth, _no killing! No more killing! I want no more blood on my hands! _She hears Lucy Heartphilia's voice echo through her mind, turning the entity confused. She sits there for a moment, wondering just how Lucy was able to get her will through, before she looks up to be staring down the barrel of a gun. The guard had gotten back up and was looking for revenge.

She stares at the man from underneath her hood, before she lets it fall down, "_P-please, sir…_" She begs in Lucy Heartphilia's voice, catching the man off guard. He obviously had no idea she was a female and now knowing this information he didn't want to kill her. For a split second she sees hesitation, and she takes her chance. She launches at him, swatting the gun away and delivering a painful punch directly in the neck, making the man wheeze again. She rips the gun from his grasp and drags it into the air, swiftly bringing it down on the man's skull. Blood sprays across her cloak and the cold, white floors of the jail. She raises it up in the air again, wanting nothing more than to decorate her body with red, the delicious crimson that she has come to adore, but she had her orders.

No more killing.

The man wasn't moving anymore and she could tell that he was out like a light. She slowly lowers the gun and sets it down beside him, knowing her destination was near and that she would have no more use of this considering she wasn't allowed to murder anyone. She turns sharply, bloodied cloak flowing out behind her like an ebony ribbon. Her opaque eyes cut through the darkness as she tears down death row, glancing into the cells she passes. The second to the last cell is where she finds her mistress's step-sister.

Chestlie Vix is fast asleep on the dingy cot, looking about as uncomfortable as a girl in the men's room. Her chest rises and falls with ever slow breath she took, the only indicator that she was even alive. The woman moves closer to the cell before whispering in a sweet yet ice-cold voice, "_Oh Chestlie…_" Her call breaks through the intruding blackness, and in the silent ring of the cells it sounds like a cannon going off. Well, at least to her. She stands tall and strong as she watches the other woman wake with a start, a looming shadow that no one could ever hope to understand.

Chestlie blinks her unfocused green eyes as she lifts herself from her cot. She stares directly out of the cell, yet not at the woman. She groans, something that came with waking up, and then yawns loudly while opening her mouth up wide to show pearly white teeth. She blinks her eyes again and says simply, "Yeah, that's me." Her voice is a hoarse whisper, so beaten down and not just from sleep. Being in confinement had gotten to the thief apparently.

Nothing shows on the entity's borrowed face, and she leans closer, "_You've caused Lucy Heartphilia quite a bit of trouble. I told her we should have left you to die, but unfortunately my mistress has grown soft._" She whispers, voice as blank as her face.

Chestlie stares straight at her now, taking in only her impending outline against the black darkness. Her green eyes seem to glow in the murkiness as she pushes herself to her feet. She watches the woman on the free side of the bars and she says, "My little sister sent you, eh?"

"_You could say that…_" The entity whispers and for a second there was an edge of humor to her tone, but in the next there is nothing.

"I see…" Chestlie stretches and her back cracks loudly. It is in that moment the lights suddenly flare to life, almost blinding both her and the possessed mage. Chestlie winces and cowers before glancing up at the entity. Her eyes go huge and she whispers, "L-Lucy…?"

The woman smiles hugely, showing rows of pearly whites. Her shark-eyes glint almost amusedly as she stares down at Chestlie, "_Time to go, 'sister'._" She whispers before she swoops down upon the bars, grabbing two iron bars. She wraps her fingers around them tightly and with a tiny grunt she begins to pull. With an almost deafening creak the bars bend due to her magical strength, opening up a passage just big enough for a small girl like Chestlie to get through. That she does for her feet hit the ground and she takes off running in the opposite direction of the stampede of guards coming their way. But before she could get very far, the other woman grabs hold of her by the collar, dragging her back around, "_They're waiting for us back there, we must go through these guys._" She whispers in Chestlie's ear before leaping at the nearest guard, in a second chopping the man across the neck and rendering him unconscious. She curves her leg in a high arc at another, then another with her fist, and another…until soon there were only a few guards left. Chestlie still has yet to take action and her eyes go to a large baton on the ground. She smirks darkly as she snatches it and launches at the remaining few, snapping the baton across one's nose, then another across his skull.

They had dealt with all but one in a matter of seconds. The power of two master thieves of Thieves' Guild was extraordinary.

The two women face the lone guard who was visibly shaking. Chestlie and the possessed woman glance at each other before both of their smirks grow. They lean in towards the guard simultaneously and say in equally monotone voices, "_Boo_." The guard shrieks and runs off, dropping all weapons like a fool.

Chestlie laughs loudly, "You know, you ain't half bad for an entity, whoever you are!" She says to the possessed mage with gleaming green eyes.

Said woman looks at her with those terrifying shark-eyes that could stop a man dead in his tracks, "_Oh?_" Her face returns to the monotonous façade she wore so well.

"So, what're you doin' in Lucy's body?" The Requip mage asks, crossing her arms across her busty chest. The other woman notices a tight and yellow metal brace around Chestlie's wrist-a special cuff made to stop magic. At least the guards thought of that.

"_My mistress required my help…but now with how easy it was to get inside, I imagine it would have been just as accessible…_" She murmurs before beginning to run through the hallway she had originally come down. She hears the other woman yell out a, "Hey! Wait up!" yet she doesn't stop, gaining speed easily. She hears hurried footsteps after her and soon another presence is beside her. She does not look, knowing it was Chestlie.

"So the very woman who sent me here is breaking me out? That makes perfect sense."

"_She will explain it to you._" After that last sentence, the possessed mage falls silent, and Chestlie quickly follows suit, thinking it was a necessary precaution. Nope, the woman just didn't want to talk anymore and truthfully, Chestlie's voice annoyed her greatly. The two woman race down the hallway and take a sharp left down another. All is silent for a few fleeting moments, before suddenly alarms begin to blaze. The women do not stop though, both obviously used to sudden alarms considering they were both thieves. They have no choice but to run in the light of both the red, blaring alarms and the yellowish lights hanging from the high ceiling. Prisoners have woken up, and many were watching the two women run, a majority cheering them on. Some jeered at them, wanting to see them captured, but that wouldn't happen. Not while the entity was still in control.

"Freeze!" voices yell out behind them yet they continue to run, looking as if they weren't even fazed and were just taking a walk in the park. Not even when shots were fire did they stop-duck and move yes, but not stop.

Finally they reach the cell the entity got through and without an inkling of hesitation she grasps the bars and begins to bend them. There is a horrible screeching sound from the bars, and in seconds there is a hole wide enough for the two of them. She allows Chestlie to go first and she follows swiftly after. Bullets hit the bars around her and she is quick to leap out the barless window. She lands perfectly on her feet beside Chestlie, who nods at her with a look of confusion. The entity gestures with her head towards the guard tower she came across and she takes off into a fast sprint. Chestlie tags along, going almost the same speed as her. These two were trained from birth to be able to run faster than your average mage, and it was really paying off now.

Their faces are illuminated by sudden searchlights, blinding them for mere seconds. The entity blinks her shark-eyes wildly, trying her best to rid of the spots that darkened her vision. Chestlie did the same, even reaches up to rub her corneas. They were so close to the guard tower when the Gatling guns go off, and bullets trail after them like a lost dog. Chestlie curses loudly and the entity says nothing, continuing to run towards the unmanned guard tower. They reach with ease; the searchlights still on them but the guns could not get a good view of them so they weren't fired to save ammunition. The woman quickly threads her fingers together and bends at the knee a little, and Chestlie steps on it. She was bare-footed because she forgot her shoes in her cell in the rush to get out. The entity lifts her up with amazing ease, and Chestlie can soon grab onto the top of the gate, right underneath barbed wire. Doing the same moves the other woman did to get up to the guard tower in the first place; she swings herself up and into the guard tower. Bullets fire and she swiftly ducks out of sight. Lucy does the same thing she did earlier, grabbing onto the wall's ledge and forcing her body up to the side of the guard tower. She pushes herself inside the tower's platform and ducks as another hail of bullets come. They ricochet off metal and completely obliterate a wooden table. Chestlie curses again and looks at the entity, wondering what was next.

The other woman gestures with a tip of her head towards Magnolia Town, "_Just jump._" She whispers, something Chestlie could barely hear over the roar of the bullets. She was about to question again what the other woman said, but when the entity suddenly leaps off the guard tower and over the prison walls she understands. She quickly follows suit, leaping into the air and narrowly dodging bullets. She winces as one manages to skid across her skin, but that was merely a flesh wound, something that would heal in no time. She hits the ground with severe force, crumpling to her knees. She lands in a heap and begins to pant heavily, sweat dripping off her face and underarms. She glances over at the possessed mage, who was standing perfectly straight and not seeming the least bit tired. Chestlie wasn't convinced of this little charade but she says nothing about it, "S-so…" She pants out, "What next?"

The alarms are in the distance now, but the entity knew that surely Fairy Tail mages would come running due to how much commotion the two had made. She gestures towards the horizon and says, "_Get out of town._"

"No, I want to speak with Lucy first!" Chestlie bites back, narrowing those sharp green eyes of her's.

The entity lets out a heavy breath of annoyance and growls out, "_Fine…but first we get to safety._"

"Pfft…" Chestlie scoffs, "one thing you should know, Ms. Entity, is that Lucy and I will never be safe, not as long as father is around." She runs a hand through her now oily black hair and stands up. Blood drips off her shoulder where she was hit with the bullet and she says, "Well let's get going."

The entity nods and breaks off into a fast running, not caring if Chestlie followed or not. The two mages race off into thick woods near the prison, disappearing quickly into the brush.

OoOoOoO

_Luce…what did you mean? _Natsu thought to himself as he lays in bed, staring up into his ceiling. He was currently located in his room, still wide awake even though it was almost three in the morning. Happy snoozes by his head but he doesn't mind. He was used to the cat snoring in his ear.

"_You will be mine_." She had whispered in his ear. Her voice had been different from normal thought. Instead of that sweet as sugar and warm as the sun drawl she always spoke in, this time it had been cold and emotionless. It had chilled him to the bone, and Natsu still thought of it with heavy dislike. It wasn't like Lucy to speak that way, and she had smelled different too…she had smelled like she was rotting. It was not a pleasant smell, and once you took a whiff of it you would never forget it. He should know- he had smelled the same thing leaking from her when they had fought that Corpse Raiser and she had gone all strange. The memories of her skipping around without even touching the ground and that lethal punch she dealt still haunted him. She was terrifying then…

Suddenly a picture pops into his brain. One of Lucy, smiling dangerously at him, crawling towards him on all fours, licking those plump lips…_no, back vile thoughts! Where the Hell did that come from?! _He screeches in his brain, onyx eyes widening as he continues to stare at his ceiling. Even though he cast the thought away from his brain, his member still twitches in response to the image. He groans heavily and turns on his stomach, burying his head in his pillow. _Do not think of a sexy Lucy…she's your best friend, no thinking about her that way! _He thought to himself.

Of course that didn't stop his perverted mind from conjuring up even more images. One of Lucy looking surprised while trying to hide her breasts with a towel, one of her panting and staring up at him with lust filled eyes, another with her wearing that outfit she wore for the circus act, only this time there were no screaming fans, only her slowly moving towards him with a look of pure seduction on her face. _No! Shoo! Back! _He yells in his brain, wishing to do that in reality but knowing that Happy would be pissed if Natsu woke him up at 3 in the morning. _God, I am such a pervert! I don't deserve a friend like Lucy, especially if I'm going to think these thoughts about her! I've never imagined Erza or Mira-chan this way before…so why is it so different with Lucy? Oh God I must be a horrid pervert! I deserve to die! _

Little did he know that sometimes, Lucy thinks of him this way too.

**OoOoOoO**

**Did you like that slightly hot ending? Natsu is showing some feelings for Lucy, and don't worry, the lemon is coming up pretty soon XD I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you next time! Next up, updating The Dragon Tamer!**

**Thanks for reading! Review, please!**

**PARADISE.x**


	27. Debate

**Hey-o everyone~! Welcome to chapter 27 of Circus de Fairy Tail! I hope you all enjoyed my updates of The Devil's Associate, Gone Away and The Dragon Tamer! Last time on Circus de Fairy Tail, Lucy let the entity take over her and she broke Chestlie out of prison! Also, Natsu has perverted dreams of Lucy? Oooohhhh things are heating up! There's a lemon on the horizon~!**

**BTW I finished my other short story 'Gone Away' if you haven't noticed yet XD God damn that last chapter took me DAYS to complete! I decided to take out the lemon I had planned for it because it would have turned the ending sour….get it? Lemons, sour? HAHAHAHAHAAHHAAHAHHAAHHAHAAH HAAHHAHA~! You know you are blinded by my stunning personality! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-cough, hack, cough!- Anywho, well I hope you enjoy this chapter of Circus de Fairy Tail, my kitties! **

**o_O Not sure if it is 'kitties' or 'kiddies'…..hmmmm…**

**This chapter is dedicated to ****kawaiineko001 for giving me the splendid idea of how to fully get Natsu and Lucy together! Thank you so much, you rock! I was really in a bind there and you helped me out 3**

**OoOoOoO**

They say that the world is a haven for vicious animals. Beasts that won't hesitate to wipe you from this very planet for the joy of it, monsters that will laugh in your face as you bleed out on the ground. They will laugh at you and mock you and hurt you and slay you, all the while wearing grotesque jeers on their faces. They are jokers, devils, banished from Hell and forced to roam the earth feeding on the innocent and wicked alike. Little children speak of them in hushed whispers with their friends, mamas and papas tell their story so that the kids will stay away. They will tell stories of devious creatures who love to see your face contort in your torture.

They will tell of Thieves Guild.

One of these beings, one of the worst, with her stoic face and shark eyes, looks at one with long black hair and striking hazel eyes. They stare at each other for a long time before a devious grin comes to the normal one's face, "What a blast that was, eh?" She says in a mischievous drawl, winking at the other woman.

The woman stares back at her with eyes of nothingness and says in a hollow and monotone voice, "_Lucy shall see that I am locked away again by morning._" Her voice even chilled the other to the bone yet she says nothing about it.

Glancing towards the rising sun the lady sighs, "A shame. You're much better company that Lucy ever was." She chuckles loudly, something almost annoying but not quite. The scary woman does not rebuttal. The normal woman glances back at her and her smirk drops, "So, why'd she send you to fetch me? I thought she wanted me to confess to the crime and get the punishment."

The other woman does not answer for a moment, only stares at the normal lady making her feel very uncomfortable. A few seconds go by of her starting intensely at the loud lady before she opens her mouth to speak, "_I do not know_."

"Hm, that's new!" The normal lady dressed in prison drag says with a loud laugh. She turns to the horizon again and sighs blissfully, "It was Hell in there, y'know?" She whispers after a long while of staring into the pink sky. The other woman does not answer, so she continues on, "One of the guards took a fancy to torturing me…even gave me this." She turns back to the other woman and unzips her orange jumpsuit, revealing an emancipated body. Her ribs jutted out before the severe dip of her stomach, and her skin was colored a sickly grey. Obviously she hasn't eaten in quite some time. She throws off the top of the suit, breasts covered by a soiled white bra that was yellow in some places, and lifts up her left arm giving the other woman an unhindered view of her side. Bruises decorate her skin in purple patches, and even some yellow here and there. There was the familiar inflamed red that showed the signs of a new bruise appearing all over. This woman had been beaten countless times in the same exact spot for week on end. The other woman watches with those emotionless nothing eyes and says nothing.

Grinning a devil's grin, the bruised woman gives out a laugh, "You certainly are a heartless one, but I am guessing that was the point. Obviously our Master created you…but why? I wonder to why he would also put you in Lucy of all people. She is such a softie, but I am sure you already know that. That girl couldn't hurt a fly…" She stares off to space still with her shirt around her waist. She reaches up and touches her plump lips softly, "God damn I need a smoke."

"_Now is not the time for that, Chestlie_." The entity says in its whispery voice. She moves forward and says, "_I shall be leaving you now. See to it that Lucy is delivered safely back to the guild Fairy Tail._" Without a confirm from Chestlie the woman suddenly falls to her knees, breathing deeply. She grips her head as if she had a massive headache, and she shuts her eyes so tight that she was seeing flashes of white. Her breathing becomes more labored and a low keening sound escapes her throat. Chestlie stares on as the woman withers in obvious pain on the forest floor not doing anything to help her for she knew that there was nothing she could do, and besides, she was enjoying the show.

_Thud_! The strange woman in pain suddenly strikes her head against the ground as if she were trying to break open her skull. She claws furiously at her face and head as sweat practically drips from her face. Dirt and grime clings to her forehead from her abuse to the ground and her head and she groans in discomfort. Her shark eyes blink open and close rapidly and Chestlie can't help but smile, "Damn, it must hurt to switch back, eh? I'm guessing that she gets it easy and just falls asleep on ya'…." She falls to her knees as well before sitting on her rear, not caring if her chest was still not covered by the prison jumpsuit. The cold air felt nice on her hot skin and she sighs sweetly, "Well, we're gonna be here awhile…" She looks over at the other woman who was currently pulling at her long strands of gorgeous golden hair. She rolls her green eyes at her and smirks sadistically, "If only I could've hurt you this bad…"

The other woman's only response is a groan.

OoOoOoO

He rubs the back of his neck and glances around, dark ebony eyes searching for the familiar head of long blonde hair he has come to know. His eyes flit around the guild hall and a tiny frown comes to his face when he does not find her among the crowd of guild members. He has noticed lately that she has been disappearing at random times, mostly during the night. How did he know this? He often tended to hang out around the front doors of the guild, and he's seen her run down the path leading into Magnolia Town more than once. He was worried for his new friend, had she gotten into trouble with someone? Maybe she owed someone money and was off doing extra jobs to pay them back? What if she was doing something illegal? He frowns deeply and runs a hand through his thick and messy raven black hair, dark eyes glaring holes into the front doors of the guild. _Well I haven't seen flame-brain since last night either, not after Lucy had got all up in face like she did. I wonder what she said…? Oh well, not important. He probably went to jack off after being so close to Lucy! _He sniggers at his own joke and sets his right ankle on his left knee, like most men cross their legs. Speaking of 'men', he looks over at Elfman who was bickering with an annoyed looking Evergreen. He can't help but smile at the two even though their voices were very irritating-they were both obviously head over heels for each other, and it was even more noticeable by the blush on their faces as they realized just how close they had gotten while heatedly debating something that they probably realized was really fucking stupid. 

"Gray-sama~!" A sweet if not shy feminine voice calls out to him and instantly he forgets all about Lucy…for the moment. He turns to see a blushing rain mage with her hands behind her back, beautiful azure eyes staring up at him and plump pink lips curved into an adorable smile. She really was gorgeous not matter what Gray said. He was just worried about really getting serious with her even though how much he wanted to. He was the type that took his time and didn't give a rat's ass what anyone said about it. Her pushy and obsessive nature didn't really help his cause but ever-so-slowly, day-by-day he feels himself begin to actually _like_ the attention he gets from Juvia Loxar. To put it simple, she was just so perfect and he…was not.

He lets a big smirk come to his face at the sight of her and he gestures to the seat beside him, "Hey Juvia! Have a seat."

Wasting no time obeying his order, Juvia rushes over to him and sits down on the barstool next to his with a look of pure adoration upon her goddess-like face. Her smile broadens to showing perfectly straight, bone white teeth and she begins her sweet-as-honey drabble, "May Juvia ask why you are up this early? Usually Gray-sama comes into the guild hall long after Juvia…"

He watches her with leveled eyes and cannot stop his broadening smile. He loved watching her speak, the way her little mouth shaped to form the words always made him have the insane urge to kiss her. He wonders faintly how long he would last before she will finally get to him, "Eh, went to bed early last night. Why do you wake up so early?"

Not being used to Gray inquiring about her personal life, her face goes fifty shades of grey **[A/N: get it? Like the books? Haha, I am a genius!]** and she stutters out in a severely shy tone, "Uh…w-well J-Juvia enj-joys w-watching the sunrise f-from her r-room…I-it makes Juvia happy."

Gray's eyes widen in surprise. Juvia never seemed like the sunrise type of woman, he would've figured she would like staring up at full moons and dancing in the rain. He turns his body towards her and says in his deep drawl, "Oh really?" A sudden idea comes to his head and his friendly smirk turns into one of mischief causing the woman's next to him eyes widen in surprise, "We should watch that together sometime, you and I."

And just like that he lost her to the world of fantasy, mumbling every now and then about children and oddly enough, groping. He rolls his eyes amusedly at her and turns away to stare at the guild doors once again. _Hm….I wonder what you do, Lucy? _

OoOoOoO

_God my head hurts…_ Was the first thing that came to Lucy Heartphilia's mind as she slowly wakes up. Her deep chocolate brown eyes flutter open and she lets out a tiny groan at the harmful light that practically burns her corneas. "Ow." She deadpans as her hand comes up to caress her forehead. Her mouth felt dry and her tongue was sandpaper, and she tries to swallow but finds that it hurts too much to complete the action. She groans again and allows her eyes to fully open. Her vision was horribly blurry, and the world was spinning but ever so slowly it all came to a halt. The top of the trees in the sky cleared up and her sharp eyes go back to being able to point out the tiniest detail in just about everything. She blinks those brown orbs and hisses as she moves her left arm. A stab of hot pain rushes through her shoulder and she glances down yet the action was futile for her shoulder was covered with a black-as-night cloak.

_Gotta get up…where am I? I swear to God if Natsu and Happy are pulling a prank on me right now…_ She thought to herself and the image of a snickering man and cat duo pulling a bed into the middle of the forest pops up into her brain. Already she was annoyed as she forces her body up, ignoring the sharp needles of pain that pricked at her sides and back. Her neck felt stiff and uncomfortable so she swivels her head around. The sound of bones popping and slight cracking is like dynamite in her ears and she winces at the sheer volume of it. She must've been out here a while by how cold she was and how brittle her body felt. She could barely feel her toes in the…combat boots she was wearing? When did she put those on? She only used those for-oh.

The entire night before rushes back to her; she could remember everything up until the part the entity actually took control. Against her will, memories of the movie she watched with Natsu jump into focus and she finds her cheeks heating up in bashfulness. He had held her through the movie! What does that mean? What if…what if he _liked liked_ her?! No, the idea was preposterous! Natsu Dragneel, 'Salamander' of Fairy Tail, liking _her_, Lucy Heartphilia, master thief of Thieves' Guild [of course, he didn't know that bit of information]? That was wishful thinking on Lucy's part and she would not let her hopes get up [not saying that they _would_ rise, as if she would want to date that idiotic, dense, stupid, brave, sexy, loyal-okay, not helping!]. He was the densest person she knew-he probably didn't even know what dating and _liking_ someone meant!

A slight rustle of fabric, the heat of another feet from her. She continues on stretching, pretending as if she did not notice. What if it was a guild member? What if they caught her? Her mind was on hyper-drive as she slowly reaches towards her amulets…

"Cool your jets, LuLu, I ain't gonna get'cha." A gruff but definitely feminine voice pipes up from where she suspected the person to be. Chestlie Vix.

_Oh, so the entity succeeded in getting her out of prison? Good, now Master Goliean won't kill me! What he doesn't know won't hurt him…_ She turns her head and makes eye-contact with the black-haired, filthy woman feet from her. She allows an almost mean broad smirk to grace her features, "LuLu? Come up with that on your own, did'ya?"

Chestlie lets out a bark-like laugh and fixes her with an amused glare, "Glad you're sane enough to be a bitch, Lucy."

This confuses Lucy and she shows it by cocking her head to one side, "Eh? I'm always sane!"

"That entity sure wasn't! That thing was a monster. Imagine…imagine…" She racks her brain for ideas, "…imagine Michael Myers* combined with Ghost Face* times 11. Add in some insane smiles and the creepiest damn voice ever uttered from a person and that's you under the possession of the entity."

Lucy frowns deeply and snaps, "I am not creepy!"

"You're right, you'll never be cool enough to be creepy….loser."

"Ugh!" Lucy exclaims and launches to her feet. Her upper lip curls up in her anger and she says darkly, "Say that to my face, whore!"

"You're just jealous because I can get any guy I want! You can't even get into that measly Dragon-boy's pants!" Chestlie crackles with eyes of fire. She was thoroughly enjoying tormenting Lucy and it was clear she was really getting to the blonde.

Lucy blanches and stutters, "W-what?" Her face heats up from her bashful innocence when it comes to romance and sex.

Seeing a golden opportunity to really have some fun with her, Chestlie coyly says, "Of course that boy's _waaaayyy_ out of _your_ league, LuLu. You couldn't bag him even if you opened up your legs wide and cried out his name!" She sniggers again, "Oh that boy…just thinking about him heats me up! I mean _look_ at those washboard abs, that chin, those _hands_…damn what I would give to stick my hand down his boxers and-"

"Sushsuhsushsh, shut up!" Lucy exclaims with a face of bright crimson. She stomps her foot on the ground like a child throwing a tantrum before crossing her arms across her busty chest, "And no way in Hell is he _above me_! Why I could get him in bed with me quicker than you can blink if I really set my mind to it!"

That's what she was aiming for. A devious smile comes to Chestlie's face as she drawls out in a challenging tone, "Oh really? I would like to see that."

Those words snap Lucy out of her anger and now she stares at her step-sister with a look of nervousness, "Eh?"

"I said I would like to see that. If you can get him to drag you into the bedroom and fuck you senseless, you'll never hear from me again. But until you do, I will continue to bother you~!" The master thief says with a giant grin. She was really enjoying herself! The look on Lucy's face was _priceless_! Now she really didn't mean this whole thing, but she just wanted to see how she'll take it, and so far it wasn't that great.

Her face was practically a tomato! She has a hand on her cheek and attempts to make words through her embarrassment. _D-drag me to the b-bedroom?! _She thought to herself. An image of an aroused looking Natsu with his hand on her wrist, dragging her kicking and screaming to his messy room, appears in her head much to her dismay. _F-fuck me senseless_?! She was so flustered she thought she would faint! "T-that's such _vulgar_ language!" She mutters.

Chestlie laughs, "Babe if you can't handle the heat then obviously you need to go back to high school!"

"We didn't get to go to high school, remember? Only the rich kids get to!"

"We're rich!"

"Yeah but how in the Hell are we going to explain two little teens with boatloads of money and a Dark Guild Master as our father?"

"….point taken. Anywho," Chestlie begins with a big smile, "you should get going." She points to the sun that was now high in the sky above Magnolia Town. Her eyes sparkle in her youthfulness as she says, "You were asleep for a good three hours! Do you know how bored I was?"

Deciding to be a smart-ass, Lucy lets an amused smirk come to her face, "Obviously not me because I was asleep." She snickers as Chestlie glares angrily at her.

"God you're annoying!" She exclaims, "Just go back to that filthy guild and continue with your little mission…" She 'hmph's and turns away from the blonde, reaching down to her waist to lift up the discarded half of her prison jumpsuit. The orange material crinkles as she throws it over her arms and zips it up loudly.

Giggling softly Lucy glances at the sun before sudden realization dons on her face, "_Shit!_ Natsu is probably already up and banging at my door! If he sees I'm not there…damn it!" She runs forward to Chestlie and punches her in the arm quite forcefully. The other woman scowls darkly and begins to complain only to have Lucy cut her off, "See ya', _Chesy-chan_~!" She coos with a devious smirk, "The next time you see me, I will be holding up the head of Marcov!"

Chestlie rolls her striking green eyes, "Not to mention the boy's."

This stops Lucy from turning around and speeding off like she planned. She makes eye-contact with her step-sister and says, "Eh?"

The other woman raises a thin eyebrow and says in a '_duh_' sort of voice, "Well, yeah, you've gotta take care of the Salamander of Fairy Tail, too! I've heard that he's taken down Dark Guild _single-handedly_!"

_Natsu, defeating Dark Guilds? _Lucy thought before scoffing humorously, "I would hardly think so. That guy is just an expendable idiot, someone to be used then discarded like the filth he is! As if he could take on a Dark Guild all by himself."

Chestlie shrugs as if it couldn't possibly matter, "You know that when the time comes he is going to try to kill you, yes? And when that happens…you can't be sensitive towards him just because of the fun you two had together." Was she giving Lucy a sentimental speech? Was she trying to help her out? _Maybe Chestlie isn't all that bad…_ "And besides," Chestlie smirks, "I can tell you're going to have a _lot more fun_ together and that can't hold you back either~!" Her voice was hinting sexual things that makes Lucy's face go red all over again.

"Ugh!" She exclaims while clenching her fists, "You're such a tramp!"

"Babe, I take that compliment with pride if it's from an innocent little gal like you." Chestlie Vix sniggers again and fully turns away, "Now off you go, I have to get back to the guild to report back to Master about our activities. Is there anything you would like me to say to him?"

Lucy racks her brain for things she would need to tell him, "Hm…" She glances at the sky as if it had the answer before looking back at the other thief, "Tell him that the plan needs to be put in motion _soon_. I can already tell Erza Scarlet is catching onto me, and God forbid she comes after me…" She shivers at the thought of Erza beating her into the ground and then dragging her to the nearest prison. "She'll make sure I'm locked up forever!"

"Lucy, Lucy, Lucy…" Lucy looks back at Chestlie who was shaking her head and clicking her tongue as if she were reprimanding a child, "You do realize that it won't be prison for you if you get caught." She fixes her with a sharp stare.

Lucy looks at her in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"Lucy, if they catch you…let's just say you won't be needing the money where you're going."

She finally catches on and her eyes go huge for a split second before they return to that cute sparkle, "Then I guess I just won't get caught then, yeah?" She giggles loudly and turns towards the direction of Magnolia Town, "Tell Master that the plan needs to happen in the next month. All of this is getting very tiring."

She doesn't even look to see if Chestlie heard her or not as she speeds off towards the Fairy Tail guild building.

OoOoOoO

The sun had barely risen any higher by the time Lucy reaches the front doors of the guild. She pants heavily from the long run back and sweat drips from her red face. _Damn…I'm…so…tired!_ She thought to herself as she holds up her torso by bracing her hands on her knees, which were bent. Her brown eyes rise to the front doors again and steadily her breath slows to a normal pace once again. "Whew! That was exhausting!" Lucy yell-whispers to herself and she straightens out, standing to her full height. She could already hear some voices leaking from the guild, and she recognizes the deep tones of Gray Fullbuster and Elfman Strauss, and the light feminine voice of a few women she couldn't name. Natsu wasn't awake yet…_good! If I can just get to my room and-_ Her train of thought is cut off by the guild doors suddenly swinging open, revealing a tall, shirtless man. Gray. Her chocolate eyes snap to his ebony ones and a tiny, friendly grin comes to her face, "Hello, Gray! What are you doing here?" _Shit, what if he asks what _I _was doing_?!

He makes her fears reality as he raises an eyebrow and takes in her full black attire. A deep frown comes to his handsome face and he says suspiciously, "I was just about to go on a mission…what are you doing? Why are you dressed like that? And why do you look so dirty?"

Lucy's mouth goes dry. How was she supposed to explain her clothing, messy hair and dirty face? Suddenly her cloak feels a million times heavier than usual. She licks her lips and forces her smile to grow and her eyes to sparkle with kindness. She needed to convince him fully, "Eh? Well, I was at a store, and I thought this outfit was just so cute!" She exclaims and claps her hands together. She picks up corner of the cloak and wave them around as if they were wings, "Don't you think it's adorable? The cloak really matches my combat boots and shirt, don't'cha think?" She tries to make her voice sound frivolous and idiotic. She had to make him think she was just some dumb blonde; it would be a great advantage in the end.

Gray surveys her again before reaching over and delicately pushing a strand of hair out of her face. Lucy goes still and stares at him with huge brown eyes, _what is he doing?! He must be doing this on purpose! _She thought to herself before suddenly he asks, "Hey, Lucy, can you go on my mission with me? I could really use the company."

His question surprises the female thief deeply and to show it her jaw drops. She quickly snaps it shut before grinning broadly at him, "I would love to, Gray!"

Gray's ebony eyes light up in happiness and he says in a loud voice, "Ah, thanks, Lucy!"

"Just let me change, 'k'?"

"Sure, I'll wait here."

And then Lucy was off to change into something more appropriate for her. Maybe, just maybe, she could use this time alone they would have together to get to know the ice mage better…and maybe even find out what makes him tick. _That fool. _Her smirk broadens into a maniacal one as she shuts the door of her dorm room behind her.

Little did both she and Gray know, someone was watching them, and that someone was _not happy_.

**OoOoOoO**

***Michael Myers and Ghost Face are two creepy ass serial killers from movies made back in the 80s and 90s. They're known by every person in America! They're really popular, and the creepiest bad guys ever! ….yep I'm adding them in!**

**Well I hope you all enjoyed this chapter of Circus de Fairy Tail! I think you all already know who was watching them…or could it be a jealous rain mage? Who can know?**

**Voice of reason: "Parrie-chan, you're the author, so you already kn-"**

**I don't do 'reason' XD**

**Next on the update list: The Devil's Associate**

**See you all then!**

**PARADISE.x**


	28. Haunting

**Hey everybody and welcome to chapter…28? Yeah, yeah 28….hm…still ain't done with this story? Man, I need to get a move on already! There will probably be 38 chapters…so ten more! I think….hm….**

**Anywho, last time: Lucy and Gray on a mission together?! THE HORROR! What will happen on this mission? Will Lucy be able to get Gray to fully trust her? And who is angry? Maybe there is more than one person angry…**

**Ahaha well, I hope you enjoy this chapter of Circus de Fairy Tail!**

**BTW, do any of you get turned on by scary things (such as Jeff the Killer and snuff films)? I pray I am not the only one!**

**OoOoOoO**

Natsu grudgingly slams his fist into Elfman's face, pissed at life at the moment. How could _she_ go on a mission with _him_ and not bother to tell him? It was unbelievable! He pants heavily as his opponent falls too soon into the ground, already knocked out cold and they hadn't even been fighting for more than five minutes. His onyx eyes narrow and he stalks over to the bar, many guild members staring at him as he went. Mirajane watches him suspiciously with those baby blue eyes of her's before they flit around looking for probably the one person who could calm him down, "Oh Natsu, where is Lucy?"

The fire DragonSlayer grimaces as he sits down, refusing to make eye contact with the white-haired barmaid, "She went on a mission with _Gray_." He spits out his name like it was venom and glowers at the bar surface.

Trying to hide a knowing smile, Mirajane stifles a giggle and says, "Oh? And why is that so bad? Angry that she isn't with you 24/7?"

Natsu's head snaps up to face her and he says, "Yes! She should know Gray is a perverted low-life that will probably molest her or something!" Mirajane rolls her pretty eyes and can't help the giggle that escapes her. Natsu sees this and it further upsets him, "Mirajaaaannnneeee~!"

"I'm-haha!-sorry-haha!-Natsu-haha!" She says between fits of giggles, "You're just so cute!"

"What? I'm not cute!" Exclaims Natsu with an adorable pout on his face, contradicting what he just said.

The barmaid smiles at her friend and fellow guild mate, "You're jealous because Gray gets her all to himself~! I wonder what they could be doing right now…" She says, hinting sexual things.

Natsu begins to mutter to himself again, "They better not be doing _anything_ together."

OoOoOoO

Meanwhile, three towns over, Lucy rolls out of the way as a long sword comes down, digging into the place she was just recently crouching. Her brown eyes go wide and she leaps from her spot and begins to run in the opposite direction of her assailant.

"Light Wave!" The dark guild member yells, bringing his hands down roughly and firing a large beam of white-light at her. She bites back a screech as she jumps out of the way, shielding her eyes from the possibly blinding attack. She lands on her feet and continues to run in a large circle around the guy, reaching for her Celestial Spirit keys. If she could just get Loke out, all of this would be over in a jiffy.

"And where is that lazy ice mage?!" Lucy hisses out loud with eyes made of fire. "How dare he ditch me?!" Finally her hand encloses around a random key and, praying to Kami above it was her lion spirit, she takes it out and glances at the design. _Damn it all! Plue won't help me now!_ Seeing that it was too late to change keys for the dark guild member was turning towards her, holding his sword up and preparing to use a technique that practically teleported him to places. If she let him do that, she was certain he would cut her straight in half. Her chocolate brown eyes narrow and she calls out, "Open! Gate of the dog, Nikora!" A loud _ding-dong_! is heard and in a flash of amazing golden light, the tiny dog Plue appears, shaking and smiling as always. Lucy wastes no time getting in his cute face and saying urgently, "Quick, Plue, go get Leo!"

Plue nods and in a puff of smoke he is gone again, leaving Lucy with a familiar ease that her strongest Celestial Spirit would be there soon to assist her. She breathes deeply through her nose as she watches her foe gather up his strength for another attack. Any second now and she'll be chopped up into bits…!

"You called?" A silky voice says behind her and immediately Lucy whips around with a thankful smile. Loke stands in front of her in all of his handsome glory, radiating power from the tips of his spiky orange hair to his big toe. He smirks at her, "I see, I'll help you take care of this nuisance!"

Lucy nods and grabs at her amulets, confident now that she had extra muscle. They both turn to the dark guild member and smirk deviously, "_Shadow, shadow_," Lucy whispers as she holds a dark onyx amulet in her hand, "_Puppet shadow…_" As her shadow begins to dance and move across the ground, Loke begins to attack, deciding to take up the frontal assault while Lucy would surprise him with her lethal amulet magic. He knew this would all drain a lot out of her and he would most likely have to find a hotel for her to stay the night, but that wasn't important right now. He had to get that sword, which seems to be the dark guild member's source of power, away from him so that Lucy can get the upper hand.

Loke's hands glow gold as he fires attack after attack at the guy, not even giving him a chance to recover. He sees Lucy out of the corner of his eye gathering up shadows, even using his as well. The shadows begin to crowd around her in a large circle, dancing, chuckling and holding hands as if they were children playing. It was one of the strangest things Loke has ever seen, and that is saying a lot. He forces his eyes away from the breathtaking sight of his master and continues to beat the guy into the ground, where he would be a prime target for her shadows.

"Loke, _move_!" He hears and instantly he is out of the way, dodging as a shadow leaps at the villain, taking on the solid form of a blacked-out lion. It takes him a second to realize it is his own shadow attacking the man. Its teeth sink into his shoulder, making the man scream in pain and claw at the beast but his hands go straight through it, it being able to touch him but he couldn't touch it. He screams louder and louder as blood escapes him, soaking the ground beneath him. In seconds he passes out from either fear or blood loss. Either way, the shadow did its job very efficiently.

"_Shadows return!_" Lucy commands before letting go of her amulet and staring into the ground. The shadow lion slowly slinks back into Loke's form onto the ground, returning to his side. He watches it assume his own position and his handsome green eyes widen. He was amazed by what his master could do.

"Whoa, that was pretty heavy." Loke comments as he walks over to Lucy. He smiles at her a places a hand on her black-clad shoulder, "You okay?" She was currently staring into the ground, a dazed look in her eyes. She blinks and few times and lifts her head up, trying to focus on him. She has obviously drained too much of her magical energy, from calling out Plue to using the amulets that just about suck the life out of her. "Why don't you get rid of those? All they do is weaken you."

Lucy tries to smile but it comes out as a grimace, "They get the job done, don't they?" She gestures to the unconscious dark guild member on the ground, still bleeding from his neck. "I-I need to return to the village and report to the…the…" Words seem to fail her and all that comes out is, "…guy." If she wasn't as tired she would have said the mayor's, the one hired them, full name. Her tongue slurs up her words and she just gives up talking, wanting nothing more than to curl up into a ball under a blanket and fall asleep. No, she had to continue on, she had to find Gray and they both need to go to the mayor. "Where is Gray?!" She says.

Loke cocks his head to the side, "He came with you?"

Lucy nods her head quickly, an action that jumbles up her thoughts, "Y-yeah, yeah he did. He lost his pants….so he went to go look for them…I stumbled across this guy," She gestures to the unconscious man with a limp hand, "And now we're here…that wasn't too long ago actually…"

The Celestial Spirit nods his head, "He should be around her somewhere then."

"Y-yeah." Lucy says before suddenly her knees give out and she falls forward, straight into Leo's arms. He circles them around her, holding her up on shaky legs. "S-sorry…" Lucy mutters, face going red from the embarrassment of feeling so tired. Loke just shrugs this off before unwinding one arm and picking her up bridal style. If Lucy's face was already red, it must be crimson now. "What're you doin'?" She slurs.

Loke looks down at her with warm green eyes, "We're going to find Gray and then I'm going to check you into a hotel where you can sleep."

"Y-you don't need to do that…"

"Nonsense! Now let's go find Gray!"

OoOoOoO

Natsu sulks as he wanders throughout the guild, looking bored and sad. No one dares to approach him in fear of irking the already irritated young man. He grumbles to himself every now and then, glancing at the guild doors every other minute as if waiting for something to come busting through. Although no one wanted to assume anything, a rumor was going around that Gray and Lucy went on a mission together, leaving poor old Natsu behind. While as many wanting to gossip and discuss this, no one dared, afraid that he would overhear and go on a rampage. He was already unstable enough as it is.

"Lucy-san just _had_ to go on a mission with the underwear lord." Cana slurs between sips of her drink. She looks over at Macao who was grinning as he watches Natsu sit in the corner like a scolded toddler. "Now we're all in danger."

"I think it's adorable. Young love…" Macao says before knocking back another pint of beer.

Cana smirks, cheeks flushed from the alcohol. It was only mid-day and already she was drunk, "Lucy really should learn that she practically belongs to Natsu. They are together 24/7. I'm surprised she hasn't realized yet just how hard he has fallen for her." The two drunkards laugh loudly and clink their glasses together before chugging them down, loving the tastes of bittersweet rum.

Fortunately, the male object of their discussion did not hear a word they said. He was too busy wrapped up in his own world, muttering to himself. He felt like Juvia whenever Gray is away, sulky and irritable. He felt a newfound sympathy for the young woman and makes a mental note to punch Gray extra hard for her when he comes back. _Lucy is _my_ partner…that stupid Popsicle has no right!_ Of course, he could already imagine what Lucy would say if she heard his thoughts:

"_I don't belong to you, idiot! I can go wherever with whomever I want!_"

Natsu smiles softly at the thought of his best friend and partner. Speaking of best friends, the young blue Exceed Happy decides to test his luck and fly over to his friend. He lands on the table in front of him and sits down. His big eyes look up into the onyx depths of Natsu's and he says in his adorable voice, "Hey, Natsu! Are you okay? You're all sad and such."

The sound of Happy's voice snaps him out of his stupor and he smiles, "I'm fine, Happy, what would make you say that? I am not sad!" He spoke too quickly to be telling the truth and in response Happy rolls his eyes.

"Oh Natsu, you are so dense. Sometimes I wonder how you even manage to get up in the morning." He retorts with a bored look.

This angers Natsu, obviously. "Hey! I am not dense!"

Happy looks back at him and shoots him an 'oh really?' look, "Oh yeah? Then tell me why you're so angry that Lucy went on a mission with Gray and not you."

Natsu rushes to make a retort to this, slamming his fist on the table, "Easy! Lucy is my partner and she didn't even tell me that she was going on a mission with somebody else! More or less _Gray_ of all people. She can do _way_ better than that-Hell; I'd rather her go with Gajeel because at least then I would know he wouldn't try anything since he obviously has it back for Levy-chan."

A loud, "Hey!" is heard by none other than the iron DragonSlayer. Natsu ignores him.

"But Gray…he might try things!" Natsu exclaims, drawing the attention of a certain rain mage. She trots over, shy and beautiful face confused. He looks up as she nears, long blue hair flowing out behind her. She had gone through a recent make-over and obviously decided to keep it.

Her pretty azure eyes rest on him and she says, "Gray-sama would never do such things! Juvia has faith in her love that he will not even so much as glance at her love-rival!"

Natsu looks up at her, "Oh really?"

"Mhmm! Gray-sama will not try anything on your woman so everything will be okay!" Says Juvia with confidence, something rarely found in her.

Natsu's onyx eyes go huge and he blanches, leaning forward. If he had any liquid in his mouth he would've spit it out. He is surprised by her words, _you woman_. For some reason, those words spark pride in him; as if he was glad someone called her that. He scratches the back of his head, "S-she isn't _my woman_." It hurts him physically to say it.

The rain woman only smirks knowingly, almost looking identical to Mirajane, and says, "Whatever you say, Natsu-san."

Happy sniggers and rolls his tongue, "You _liiiiiike_ her~!"

Natsu's face goes red, startling both Juvia and Happy. They weren't expecting him to actually understand what they were talking about, "Sh-shut up, Happy! You too, Juvia!" Then he stands up abruptly, throwing the chair he was sitting in onto the floor. He turns and stalks off, out of the guild doors and into the hot sun of the outside world. When he leaves, both Juvia and Happy look at each other and giggle, having much fun with this show.

OoOoOoO

The ice alchemist glances around while pulling on his jeans. "Shit, where'd she go? We were having a great conversation too…" He zips them up and buttons them with a curious look. He couldn't care less about his shirt, so he didn't bother trying to find that. For some reason Lucy had a problem with him walking around in his boxers and forced him to go back to look for them among the trail they had walked to get to the camp where their target was last seen. "Well I hope she's alright…" He says before he scoffs and laughs to himself, "As if, that little girl can take care of herself, surely." He continues to walk with his hands in his pockets, ebony eyes flitting around for any signs of the blonde and busty woman. _I can see why the flame brain likes to hang around her so much…she's got the best set in the guild! After Juvia of course…_ He stops, surprised. Where did that last thought come from? He rarely has perverted thoughts about the rain mage so this was new to him. He scratches the back of his head and looks up into the sky, a puzzled look on his face. She has been popping up into his thoughts far more often than usual, and most of his thoughts about her weren't bad as they used to be. He used to only see her as a stalker, an annoying pest but now…now when he looks at her his heart speeds up and he finds himself wanting to strip for an entirely _different_ reason, if you know what he means. He clears his throat, ridding all thoughts of the woman from his thoughts as his continues along.

"Lucy! Lucy where are you?" He calls out in his normal bored tone, not feeling the least bit concerned for her wellbeing. He was positive she was okay so why worry? She had those nifty keys she could use plus the amulets so she should be fine.

Rustling, behind him, a few yards away. His senses become sharper as he zeros in on the sound, continuing to walk as if he didn't hear it. He makes sure to look perfectly content with his surroundings as he hears a twig break. When the assailant comes out, he would take him out with a simple 'ice make cannon' then go round up Lucy. Footsteps, heavy and loud ones belonging to a man. Was this guy even trying to be quiet? Was he that confident of his powers that he could walk around so arrogantly? This makes Gray further increase his guard just in case the guy did have the strength to back up his obviously huge ego.

"L-last time I saw him…back here…." He hears the faint and weak voice of his temporary partner and he turns around immediately, ready to leap to her rescue if needed.

"Ah, yes I see him." Was that…Loke's voice? Why was he here? Wasn't he one of Lucy's Celestial Spirits? That had been quite a surprise for Gray when he heard about it. He watches the spot in the bushes he believes the voices to be coming from and in a moment Loke holding a sick looking Lucy walks onto the trail. Gray's eyes go huge and he quickly runs over. He notes that there was a guy tied up with a large bandage over his shoulder and he quickly writes it off in the light of a bigger issue.

"Shit, is she okay?" He asks concern evident in his usually monotonous voice.

Loke replies, "She used up a bit too much of her magic energy. We need to get her a place to sleep quickly. Isn't there a town nearby?"

Lucy glances around with dazed and glazed over eyes, "C-can…sleep…woods…" Then her eyes flutter closed once again, fist holding on tightly to Loke's tuxedo jacket. Her face was red and she was sweating horribly.

"Nonsense, love, you will sleep in a nice comfortable bed!" Loke says sternly, wanting the best for his wonderful master.

"I can take her off of you if you want." Gray offers but Loke shakes his head with a smile.

"I wish to make sure my master gets to a hotel safely."

"What, you don't trust me?"

"Not in the slightest bit. You're a pervert!"

"Am not! I just have a horribly habit!"

"Mhmm…" Loke says dismissively with a devious smirk, "There is a town nearby, yes?"

Gray nods quickly, "Yeah. About a mile down this road."

Loke curses, "She needs to rest and eat something _now_, Gray."

The ice mage nods his head, reaches over and picks up the unconscious man, "I guess I have to hold his lazy ass…good thing he's tiny!" He mutters as he hoists the man over his shoulder. "Then let's hurry, eh?"

Loke nods and without a second thought the two men are off, one carrying precious cargo while the other curses that he has to hold a heavy man.

OoOoOoO

"WHY AREN'T THEY BACK YET?!" Natsu roars in a fit of rage, practically tearing out his hair. Juvia looks at him and nods.

"Juvia understands why you are so concerned, Natsu-san. Gray-sama might be in trouble!" She wails, worry leaking from her every pore.

"I couldn't give less of a damn about that pissant! I'm more worried about Lucy." Natsu grumbles, peering out of the two mages' 'hiding spot'-which was between the guild wall and a tree. They were very obvious among the dead tree and flat wall-adding on that it was bright as hell outside just made it seem like the two were hanging out instead of trying to hide and waiting for their partners.

"How can you say that, Natsu-san? Gray-sama is amazing!" Juvia says, practically steaming at his comment. She narrows her sweet azure eyes at him before redirecting them to the road that leads up to the Fairy Tail guild. They definitely will not miss them when the two come strolling back from their mission.

"I hope that weirdo is having fun…" Natsu says resentfully, meaning the exact opposite of what he said. His foot taps at an inhuman pace on the ground as he leans against the dead tree and crosses his arms. He searches the face of every person that passes by, not seeing the familiar face of his partner.

Pretty soon, Happy flies out holding a tray with two large glasses of ice cold lemonade. The second the sun hits him he begins to sweat and he eyes the cups, longing for the sweet taste of lemons. But he knew that if he so much as took a sip, Mirajane wouldn't let him have fish for a week, so with a heavy heart he takes the glasses out to Juvia and Natsu. The two look up in surprise as Happy holds them out to them, "Mirajane wanted me to give you these!"

Juvia bows her head in thanks to the blue Exceed and takes one, "Juvia gives her thanks to both the cat Happy and the barmaid Mirajane-san!" She chirps before taking a long swig, smiling hugely at the bittersweet flavor. She loved how it was both sugary and sour.

Natsu takes one and pats Happy on the head, "Thanks! Hey you want to help us look out for-"

"SORRY NATSU I HAVE THINGS TO DO!" Happy calls out as he zooms inside the refreshingly cool guild, fur already damp from sweating. Natsu stares after him and rolls his onyx eyes. Juvia only giggles and takes another sip.

"Mirajane-san is really nice."

OoOoOoO

"Here, I got this from the bar downstairs."

"Chicken tenders?"

"Sorry, that's all they had that wasn't rancid, okay?"

"Damn it…well I guess it will have to do. Open wide, Lucy!"

"She can't hear you, idiot."

"Sure she can. She just can't move."

"Then why tell her to do something that acquires movement?! Besides, how is she going to chew and swallow…?"

"Fine, she'll get water first. Let's hope that wakes her up."

_Voices too loud…Gray shut up, Loke shut up. Just give me the damn tenders._ Lucy, in her state, tries to say but her voice fails her. All that comes out is a soft sigh. Her stomach roars with hunger. She would eat _anything_ right now, especially chicken tenders. She suddenly feels cold fingers on her chin, but they weren't a _bad_ cold. With her hot, sweaty skin it felt rather nice, so she relishes in the feelings and if she could smile, she would. The fingers force open her mouth and she feels cool liquid pool into her mouth. It felt so nice…she greedily swallows it down, recognizing the taste of water.

"At least she swallowed. I was worried we might have to perform CPR or something!" Loke? Yeah, that was Loke.

"Whatever, pervert, you know you would've enjoyed it." That was most definitely Gray. His deep baritone voice echoes in her practically empty head and she tries to smile again. She fails miserably.

"Hey, I think she's coming to!" Loke says excitedly, whereas his voice earlier had been strained and worrisome. He really did care about Lucy, more than just about her good looks. Her deep brown eyes slowly flutter open and she lets out a groan at the dim light. She manages to make out fuzzy shapes on either side of her bed and she blinks a few more times to see Loke and Gray standing loyally next to her.

"W-wha…?" She slurs out, feeling as if her mouth was full of cotton. Her stomach roars in hunger and she grabs it, "I'm hungry…."

Gray quickly nods, "To be expected." He reaches over and snatches a white box from Loke, who scowls at him, and opens it up to reveal six large chicken strips. He picks one out and makes to hand it to her. She tries to raise her arms but finds it extremely uncomfortable, and she winces in pain.

"Um, why do I feel so sore?" She demands, looking between the two men with a suspicious gaze.

Loke speaks up, "You used quite a lot of magical energy fighting that guy! I recommend you don't move after a good night's sleep. You're far too sore to even think of moving." He puts his hands in his pockets and casts a reassuring smile at her, "Do not worry, though, I made sure this pervert," He points towards Gray with his thumb and Gray protests, "didn't strip while you were asleep. But I am afraid I need to return." He fans himself with a hand, "I feel very faint…Goodbye!"

"Wait!" Lucy calls out but it is too late, Loke dissipates in a puff of grey colored smoke. "Fuck…"

Gray shrugs and puts a hand on her forehead. She realizes now that it was his fingers that touched her earlier, for his skin was as cool as ice. _Makes sense._ She thought to herself. She smiles at the cold and pouts when he takes his hand away, "Damn you're burning up, Lucy!" He exclaims, looking a bit panicked, "I don't know how to deal with sickness…Christ!" He mutters to himself, hoping Lucy doesn't hear. She does and she rolls her eyes.

"That really makes me feel better, Gray," she says sarcastically, "don't worry, I just need to sleep for at least an hour, then I will be fine. But first…" She eyes the chicken still in his other hand, and she begins to practically drool.

Gray smirks and says, "Open your mouth, then."

Lucy's brown eyes go huge, "Eh? I-I can do it myself…" She looks away from the devishly handsome ice mage.

He only rolls his ebony eyes at her, "Sure you can, with that sore body of yours. Just open your mouth, Lucy." He demonstrates by opening his own mouth and saying, "Ahhhh…"

With pink cheeks, Lucy reluctantly but obediently opens up her mouth and lets him place a bit inside. She takes a bite and chews it, smiling softly at the flavor that explodes across her taste buds. She swallows it and opens her mouth for more, making Gray chuckle humorously. He feeds all of them to her and after, she burps loudly. If she could, she would've covered up her mouth. She is mortified and her blush intensifies, "I-I'm so s-sorry!" Gray only chuckles again, looking quite younger when he smiles. She finds herself giggling along with him, blush still in place on her face. _Has he always been this handsome?_ She thought to herself as she watches him put the white Styrofoam box on a nightstand next to the hotel bed. She glances around the room, taking in the pale tan walls and the equally tan fluffy carpet. There were a few pictures on the wall, and an open door that she believes to lead to a bathroom, and a closed door with locks. She takes comfort in the fact that the door was not locked and she looks at Gray again, "Where are we?"

"A hotel in the town where the mayor who hired us lives. He paid for the hotel in full, and for all food we might need." He says.

This gives Lucy a bad feeling, "You don't think…he's taking this out of the jewels he owes us?" She says, brown eyes widening.

Gray just shrugs, "Oh well. You needed to sleep and to eat so we took whatever we could find. We being Loke and I." He looks away, staring out of a window next to the bed. She glances at it, seeing that it was nighttime already. Her eyes widen, _I hope Natsu is okay with me going with Gray…he was asleep so I didn't want to wake him…I was planning to get home sooner than this but…_

Home_, Lucy?_ The voice says in her head, its genderless voice like nails on a chalkboard. Lucy winces visibly, and clenches her teeth as it echoes throughout her head.

_No, I didn't mean that…_ Lucy replies to it, knowing very well that it must be the connection between her and Master Goliean. How else would he have contacted her through her dreams so long ago? He wasn't some Dream mage so…she flinches as it speaks again.

_You know what you should be doing. Find out his weaknesses, get him to trust you. Hurry up, Lucy, you only have all night. You could wrap him around your finger in a sexual way-_

_No, none of that! I'd rather stay a virgin, thanks!_ Lucy screeches in her mind, blush intensifying as she glances over at Gray again. He looked distant and unapproachable, which to Lucy made him look very dashing. She looks away quickly as he turns his head to look at her again.

"Are you thirsty?" He asks, ebony eyes boring holes into the side of her face with his cool gaze. He was different from Natsu. While Natsu made her feel hot and excited, Gray made her feel strangely at ease and bashful-a more innocent feeling than what Natsu made her feel. She just felt so…_naughty_ when she was with Natsu sometimes whereas with Gray he made her feel safe. They were too completely different men, no wonder they fought all the time!

Now, does she want fire or ice?

Lucy lets her eyes slide back to his and she is surprised to find him shirtless. She tries to look anywhere but his amazing chest as she replies, "Y-yes." She curses inwardly at her stutter and watches him as he smiles comfortingly at her and grabs a water bottle off the nightstand. He unscrews the top and lifts it up to her plump lips, being careful not to spill it on her. She opens her mouth and lets him flow the liquid inside. She drinks it down greedily, closing her brown eyes. He takes the bottle from her lips when she begins to pull back and he screws the top again. He sets it down and looks at her.

"You should get some sleep." He says and he stands up, reaching over and pulling up the blanket to her chest, covering up most of her body. He helps her adjust on the pillow so that it wasn't uncomfortable to sleep. The entire time she watches him with slightly surprised eyes. He was being so nice to her, why? Because she bagged the guy by herself? Or was it because he thought she was weak? Him thinking her weak would end in her favor, yes, but still…for some reason she absolutely hated the thought of Gray thinking she was incapable of handling herself. Of course, this was ludicrous considering Lucy was a thief and used to people thinking low of her. Thieves are not meant to have great amounts of physical strength or even magical strength for that matter. They need to have quick, agile bodies that are flexible and able to get through tight spaces. Thieves need to be clever and quick thinkers, always on their toes and ready to bound away at any moment. They don't stay and fight; they push the nearest person towards the threat and run. So why did she feel so insulted that Gray might thinks she has a weak magical energy? _Forget about it…it is not as if his opinion will be there for much longer anyway. _

"Thank you, Gray." Lucy says faintly, suddenly feeling very tired. Gray smiles at her again and she finds herself smiling right back at him. _Let him think of you as a weak, air-headed blonde that is smitten with him. It will be his head to assume it. _

Gray nods and straightens himself up and begins to walk away only to be stopped by Lucy calling out to him, "Yeah?" He says as he turns back around.

Lucy looks confused, "Where are you sleeping?"

He gestures to a tiny loveseat a few meters away from the large bed Lucy was currently laying in, "I'll cram myself onto that."

"Gray…." Lucy says, eyebrows furrowing, "That is way too small for a guy like you! I'll sleep there, if you could just move me…"

The ice alchemist shakes his head, "And make a pretty girl like you sleep on an uncomfortable couch? I may be a jerk but I ain't that much of an asshole." He jokes with a carefree smile that makes Lucy's heart speed up, "But thanks anyway." _Pretty? _She tries to control her breathing as her face flares up in red.

"N-no I insist, Gray! You've already help me enough!" Lucy protests, _almost there…_

Gray's smile turns into a devious smirk, "I _could_ sleep with you then, since neither of us want to sleep on the couch." _Bingo._

Against her will, her face heats up a thousand more degrees and she says, "T-that's f-fine, I guess."

Gray's eyebrows lift ever so slightly. Obviously he was surprised by Lucy's compliance with his idea but trying to hide it and keep up his seductive front. He shrugs as if it couldn't possibly matter and he walks back over to her, slipping into the space beside her. Still not able to move her body, Gray has to move her over a bit for him to fully fit. They now lay side by side in the dimly lit hotel suite and Lucy was sure he could hear her speeding heart. He turns onto his side, showing his bare back to her. He gets comfortable and soon is breathing evenly, leaving Lucy to stare up at the ceiling. _So he trusts me enough to at least lay with me…alright._

OoOoOoO

_His arms circle around her and he drags her into him. He could hear her heart, beating like a jack-rabbit's in her chest. Her face was an adorable pink as he brings his lips to her ear, letting his tongue dart out and play with her earlobe. Her breathing becomes labored at his hot touch, and he finds himself getting more and more excited. He turns her around in his arms so he could look at her face, taking in her strange black eyes, the blonde hair that framed her face and plump pink lips that looked just so kissable. So without further ado, he licks his own lips before crashing them down onto her's, loving the surprised squeak that comes from her. He trails his large hands down her sides, stopping them at her hips. He grabs them and pulls her forward, digging his fingers into her soft skin. He was sure that would leave bruises but he didn't care. All he wanted was more contact, he wanted more of her. He pulls back to catch his breath, staring down at her with hooded eyes. Her already bruised lips part to let out a soft sigh that drives him crazy. Those lips curve into a seductive and almost cruel smile as she reaches up to whisper in his ear,_

"_You're mine."_

Natsu launches awake, sweating profusely on his bed. He glances around the room with huge onyx eyes, taking in soft shadows and Happy's sleeping form. He looks down at his hands, breathing labored. What the hell was that? He was positive that was Lucy in his dream…the girl had the same face and hair as her. The only difference were that her eyes were a full black, there wasn't any other color, just pools of inky darkness that seemed to stare straight through him. And that voice…that voice that whispered what should be a saying used in the passion of a heavy make-out, or even something more, was deadly and monotonous. He heard it only once before so close, whispered into his ear, breath tickling his ear, one night ago. He shivers and tugs at his ear, still feeling her warm breath on the appendage. He sighs heavily and lays back down, wanting to rest more. He shuts his onyx eyes tight, dreading the moment when he would fall back asleep again.

Because even here, in reality, he could have sworn he still heard her laughter.

**OoOoOoO**

**Poor Natsu, being terrorized by the entity! Haha, I think it is kind of funny….anywho, did you like the GraLu moment thrown in there? I respect the pairing I just don't ship it!**

**Review please!**

**Next on update list: The Dragon Tamer**

**PARADISE.x**

**P.S. wow, I actually managed to update ALL of my stories this week! WAHOO!**


	29. Sakura

**Hey everybody! Parrie-chan here! You have clicked on the newest installment of Circus de Fairy Tail! Now, before you get TOO excited, make sure you don't have any breakable objects around you that you might accidentally throw to the ground in a squealing fangirl moment. There are many things in this chapter…many things…**

**This chapter is definitely rated T and not just for the language, if you catch my drift.**

**Anyway, enjoy…**

**OoOoOoO**

"C'mon, Lucy, hurry up! I wanna go to the train station so we can get the hell out of here already! What's takin' you so long, anyway?" Gray barks while standing in front of the bathroom door of the motel suite. It has been an _hour_ since Lucy went in there to shower, and she has yet to come out! It had taken Gray five minutes to both shower and throw on his clothes, and now after waiting for ten minutes-because he knew girls took a longer time than guys-, he was banging on door. He was starting to think she was dead. She hadn't answered any of his pleads for her to exit the bathroom, but she was weird like that. Maybe she was just ignoring him; she tended to do that with people who annoyed her.

Thankfully, just as Gray was about to knock down the door, he hears a sharp, "_Shut up, Gray! This much beauty takes time to prep!_" He scoffs lightly at her statement and turns away from the door. He glances down to see that his chest was bare again. His eyes widen and flit around; looking for his discarded shirt he doesn't remember stripping. It was lying on the floor so he reaches down and puts it back on….only to find his pant were gone.

"Damn it!"

When Lucy finally comes out of the shower, she is granted the sight of Gray, pantless, on his hands and knees searching underneath the bed. The smile on her pretty face dissolves into a confused frown and she says, "Uh, Gray?"

"Yeah?" He says, unfazed by the fact that she was probably staring at his boxer-clad rear and wondering just what in _seven hells_ was he doing.

"….never mind. Get your pants and let's go!" Lucy barks with a hand on her hip. His face brightens as his eyes land on his lost clothing and he grabs it quickly before launching to his feet and putting them on. He zips them up and buttons before smiling at her. She rolls her big brown eyes at him and says, "You're so awkward."

Gray scowls, "Am not!"

"Are too." She deadpans.

"Am not!"

"Don't argue with me, boy." She ends the conversation with a tiny smirk. He only continues to frown at her as they walk through the front door of the hotel room. As Lucy turns to lock the door again she comments, "And how did your pants end up under the bed anyway?" Gray only shrugs and makes an 'I don't know' sound. The two then walk through the long hallway of the hotel until they reach the lobby. They head up to the front desk to turn in the keys to the room and pay any extra fees. Lucy sighs as she hands over some of her hard earned money to the nice lady behind the counter.

"Thank you, miss. Have a great day!" The lady says with a big and friendly grin.

Lucy nods and smiles back, "Thank you, ma'am! You too." She walks back over to Gray, who had been waiting patiently next to the front door. At the sight of her, he straightens up from the slouch he had been in and smiles at her. She feels her heart skip a beat as she nears him and she looks away, "All set." She glances around the place out of habit, scoping out every possible exit and/or entrance. She notices that some girls were giggling, blushing and glancing at Gray every now and then. This makes her frown and she narrows her eyes at the very object of their affections, "Looks like everywhere you go girls always manage to fall head over heels for you. Can't stick to one woman, huh?" _Poor Juvia-chan…I can see why she has to watch Gray all the time! _She thinks to herself as she storms pass the now confused Gray. She pushes open the front door of the nice hotel. She hears him stumble after her yet she does not react. She just wanted to get to the guild and see Natsu…_he's probably furious with you, going off on a mission with another guy…more or less his _rival_, of course he'll be angry! _She thinks to herself. She sighs heavily for she can already imagine his angry scowl, dark onyx eyes narrowed to slits and his arms crossed across his big…muscular…tan chest….She shakes her head quickly, disregarding all thoughts of the DragonSlayer from her head. He would never want her that way.

"Hey, wait! Lucy!" Gray calls from behind her yet the Celestial Mage ignores him in favor of taking a sharp left down the road. She could see the sign for the train station. She was lucky it was so close; she couldn't wait to do some recon…

Little did she know that wasn't what fate had planned for her tonight.

It is when she is a few meters away from the stairs that lead into the station does Gray catch her arm, "Wait! Walking so fast…" He growls out. She turns her head and fixes a deadly glare on him, one that could rival even Erza's. His body goes ice cold-well, colder than usual-and his eyes widen. He goes rigged as she snatches her arm out of his grasp.

"We'll talk on the train. Too many girls look at you." She says sourly before turning and stomping off to the train station. He stares after her with a look of mortified confusion on his face, _girls are…so weird._ She climbs the stairs of the station and walks inside, heading straight to the ticket counter. She orders two and gives the needed jewels before turning again-only this time she smacks straight first into a bare chest. Not even needing to know who it was by the blue guild insignia on his chest, Lucy scowls darkly, "Let's go, Gray, the train is about to leave." She doesn't even look at him.

"Tell me why you're angry or we aren't going anywhere." Gray says in a low and cool voice, one that suits him so well. She frowns darkly and glances behind him to see that a line was forming.

"Gray, you're holding up the line. I'll tell you on the train, okay?" She hisses at him before tugging on his arm. He frowns at her before allowing her to drag him off to the train where they get on and she picks a compartment far in the back. She opens the sliding glass door and sits down, letting go of his arm. He sits across from her and stares at her, demanding answers from her. She sighs heavily before saying darkly, "Juvia –chan really loves you, ya'know." His eyes widen. He had obviously not thought this was what she was angry about. He opens his mouth to respond, but she only raises a hand to silence him, "Let me continue. Now, I know I must seem like some air-headed blonde chick whose head is always somewhere else, but I do know love when I see it." At this, he snorts and she glares at him, "And, Juvia-chan has it bad for you, if you hadn't noticed. You might not care about her," She leans in with brown eyes narrowed into a look so sinister that he backs up in his seat. He has never seen her look this way before, "but I do. Already I love her like a sister, and if you hurt her, I'll hurt you, get it?" She snaps.

Gray stares at her for a long moment, thinking about what she said, before his own scowl comes to his handsome features, "You don't think I already _love_ her?! You don't think I _care_ about her?! She is the only person in the guild who really understands me. She doesn't reprimand or make fun of me for my stripping problem, and I know she'll be with me through thick and thin, no matter what it is! She's beautiful, and sweet and kind and I don't fucking deserve her!" He snarls out, his anger and love for Juvia making his tone fierce. Lucy glares at him with sharp brown eyes, and he realizes that he has yelled at her and probably made the worst mistake of his life…until a great big grin comes to her face and her demeanor changes drastically. His eyes widen and he loses his look of anger. A school-girl like giggle comes from the female across from him and she leans back in her seat again.

"Got you! I just knew you had feelings for her!" She claps her hands enjoyably.

Meanwhile, Gray was still contemplating what had just happened to him. He was victimized…by a cute blonde woman who knew just how to get people to say what she wants them to? His head was starting to hurt! "S-she planned the whole thing…." He mutters to himself as the train begins to start and pick up speed on the tracks. Lucy continues to laugh as he puts a hand to his head, "Well, damn."

OoOoOoO

Natsu picks at a spot of wood a lighter shade than the rest of the bar top, his head resting on the counter. He was sitting where his best friend and partner usually sits with an aura of complete and utter loneliness to him. He mumbles to himself every now and then, something along the lines of 'that icy bastard' and 'I miss her', but mostly stays quiet, really creeping out the guild members in the hall. He rarely moves from his spot, just pouts and sniffs the air, always searching for that familiar scent of the girl he has come to care so deeply for in such a short period of time. He couldn't wait to see her face, see that gorgeous smile, those big brown eyes…he gets giddy just thinking about her. He sighs heavily through his nose and closes his onyx eyes, halting his finger's motions on the wood. He goes completely still, pardoning the steady rising and falling of his breaths, and tries to go into a state of semi-awareness. He's seen Lucy do it before when she's bored, so why wouldn't it work for him? There we go…he felt peaceful now, just listening to the familiar buzz of his comrades' conversations about nothing and everything. This was the first time he's ever done something like this…he was used to moving around and being busy all the time, he only really gets any down time like this when he's asleep, and even then he only sleeps for a good seven hours, then he's right back at it. He doesn't have to sleep that much at all, actually…he just loved sleeping when it came to being in Lucy's bed, snuggled up against her with his arm around her petite stomach, hand sometimes wandering farther than it should be…

"_Oh! Hello, Lu-chan! How was the mission?_"

Natsu was floating on Cloud Nine, daydreaming of Lucy smiling at him, laughing with him and lounging in the sun with him…That's what he'll do! Once she gets back, he'll steal her from the ice prick and take her to his favorite spot to sunbathe! How do you think he keeps his skin so tan?

"_Lucy-san, did you have fun with the stripper? Ha-ha!_"

His nose scrunches up at the thought of Gray that decides to pop into his head at that moment, shattering all visions of lying in the golden light with Lucy. He even bares his teeth and growls out lowly, "She's mine…stripper…"

"_Have you guys seen-oh there he is!"_

His nose kind of itches…he grumbles lowly to himself and squeezes his eyes shut tighter. The guild could sure be loud when it wanted to be…what's that on his back? It's warm and small, comforting…Now something is tickling his nose again. His nostrils twitch and he takes a sniff of the air. His onyx eyes snap open-what he smelled was the familiar sweet, cherry blossom scent of the very woman he had been waiting for the past day and a half. His vision is blurry at first, but it zeros in on brown, and lots of it. It takes him a moment to realize he is staring into her eyes. She had bent down next to him and placed her face just mere inches from his. His nightmare/wet dream from last night comes to mind and instantly the tiniest blush comes to his face, him managing to keep most of it at bay. She is smiling hugely as if she didn't disappeared and didn't tell him a thing about it. It is her hand on his back, and now it rubs soothing circles. He hears her giggle, a sound like music to him, before she says in that honey-sweet drawl, "Hey Natsu!"

His onyx eyes narrow and his feelings of emporia he was feeling earlier leave. He sits up abruptly, making her brown eyes widen. He scowls darkly at her and growls, "_Hey Natsu_?! That's all you have to say?"

Lucy looks very nervous now. She scratches the back of her head and plays with her long black pants, "Uh...yeah…" At that, Natsu launches out of the stool and walks away from her with his nose in the air. He hears her stand up too and walk after him. "W-wait! Natsu, c'mon, I'm sorry!"

He crosses his arms across his chest, "I don't want to hear it, Luce! You didn't even tell me!"

"I'm sorry Natsu, he just asked me and I said yes because it's polite! Gray was the perfect gentleman on our mission, even gave me all the reward because I did all the work…and was the one who got hurt in the end, but that's beside the point-" She is cut off by Natsu whipping around, eyes made of fire. She goes still at his expression and silently thanks Kami above when he directs it to the poor ice mage in the back of the guild. He was watching the two and now stares, mortified, as Natsu starts to come his way.

"You…let…her get…_hurt_?!" Natsu practically roars, "You take _my_ partner then you let her get hurt?! Where were you, stripping for money?!"

Gray backs up a bit, "H-hey, she's the one who ran off. She had a problem with me _lacking_ clothing so she forced me to go back and look for them! She was stupid and kept on…she beat the guy, though! She just used a lot of her magical energy and Loke and I had to carry her to a hotel in a village nearby. See? It's all _her_ fault!" He tries to explain while pointing accusingly at Lucy.

The blonde is outraged, "Don't blame this on _me!_ Don't listen to him Natsu, he left little old me all by my lonesome!" She attempts to save her life from the fuming DragonSlayer but only fuels his fire.

With a furious snarl, he manages to grab both Gray and Lucy in record timing, holding them both by their collars (Gray thankfully still had his shirt on so Natsu wouldn't hold him up by his throat) high in the air, "I'm angry at both of you! Gray for stealing _my_ partner and Lucy for getting hurt!"

"I wasn't hurt, I was just really exhausted!" Lucy whines. She kicks against his hold but knows it is of no use. She sighs heavily and crosses her arms across her busty chest, "I don't see why you're so angry, I mean I don't _belong_ to you, Natsu." She hisses with a big frown. The entire guild is watching in amusement, some in sympathy for the two, and a few giggles and murmurs spring up here and there.

Natsu frowns and says, "No, but you are _my partner_. I would get it if you got angry if I went on a mission with someone else!"

Lucy rolls her eyes, "I wouldn't get angry over something like that."

Gray sniggers, "Looks like you're the only one, flame brain!" He smirks mockingly at the fire user but his trickster look forms into one of surprise when Natsu drops him and he falls to the floor. He still holds up Lucy, who grimaces and mutters something about wanting to change into something more comfortable. Gray shouts, "Hey!" But Natsu isn't listening. He turns and with his captive in his iron grip he head towards the guild dormitories. Some guild members catcall but Lucy ignores them in favor of struggling against Natsu.

"Let me go!" She pipes loudly.

He only smirks deviously at the Celestial mage, making her blush darkly, "Didn't you say you needed to change?" Says he in a low voice that makes lightning rush through her body. Shivers run down her spine and suddenly her skin is super-sensitive, feeling every touch from him, every brush of knuckles against her bare neck. Her lower regions tingle in response and her eyes widen at both his words and the feelings of excitement that course through her. The catcalls grow louder and a loud laugh from Cana is heard from the back of the guild.

"Finally making a move, eh Natsu?! Finally, I thought _Droy_ would get some before you!" She mocks in her drunken stupor. Droy calls out an insulted 'hey!' and she only crackles manically in response before taking another large swig out of her signature barrel. Her statement makes Lucy go even redder in the face and Chestlie's words replay in her head, _"…drag you to his bedroom and fuck you senseless…"_ Is that what he is doing? She isn't ready! She hasn't had her first kiss, more or less had _sex_ with anybody! Her mind wanders to horribly perverted situations featuring themes ranging from sweetness to rough bondage. She was about to pass out from all the blood rushing to her face!

Before she even realizes it, she's in her temporary room and the door is slamming shut behind her. The sound makes her jump and she gasps as Natsu sets her down. She turns to look at him with huge brown eyes and says, "Why'd you bring me here?"

Natsu looks at her with eyes full of innocence-a bit too _much_ innocence. He offers her a cute grin, "You said you needed to change, so change!" He leans against the closed door and watches her with his usual happy eyes. When she doesn't make a move and only quirks an eyebrow at him, his face goes confused and he says, "Well, what are you waiting for?"

Lucy narrows her eyes at him and snaps, "I can't take off my clothing with you watching me! It's indecent!"

Natsu cocks his pink head adorably and comments, "I would have to problem with changing in front of you."

"Well, Natsu, that's because you're a guy and you have less things to cover." Mutters Lucy and she rolls her eyes at his childish remark.

Before she even knows what happened, his dark smirk is back, the very mirror image of the one he had just a minute before. She freezes and her eyes go wide. Why did she respond so much when he looked like that? Well, he _did_ look unbelievably sexy...As she watches his soft looking lips move to shape words, she catches the tips of his deadly fangs. They glisten with saliva and suddenly she has the strange urge to trace her tongue across the very points of those canines. His tongue flicks to and fro in his mouth and heat begins to pool in her belly. It looked so…_nimble_. She was positive he could do a lot of damage with that appendage… "Oh I have _much_ to cover." He says deviously. It takes her a minute to catch the double meaning in his words, and when she finally does her face explodes once again with scarlet. She gasps loudly and comically making Natsu snicker.

"Y-you-!" Lucy exclaims, "_Pervert_!" She gestures wildly at the door, "Out, out! I need to change, go! Scat! Vomanos!" He continues to laugh as she boots him out of the room. Even after she slams the door shut behind her she continues to hear his deep baritone voice. He says he's going to wait for her in the guild hall and for her to hurry up. She pants heavily and grasps her chest as if trying to calm her speeding heart. He just commented on his _size_ to her! Of course, she was daydreaming of his tongue doing sinful things to her equally sinful body so she shouldn't be talking about how he was the pervert…but still…She sighs heavily as she finally calms down and she heads over to her dresser, pulling open a drawer and picking out some clothing. Since it was obvious she would be spending the rest of the day practically glued to Natsu's hip, she decides on something cute. She picks out a short red skirt with a cute white tank top with thick straps. She takes one look at the underwear she was wearing and rips it off, disgusted to be in contact with such dirty objects. She must have sweated a lot last night for her usually white bra was stained. Her panties were fine for the most part but she hates wearing dirty underwear. She looks around her choices, and a cute blush comes to her face at the sight of a rather skimpy looking pair that was made of black and red lace. _Should I…? Nah, I mean I am not looking for that with him…but what if something like that happens and I wear a totally drab looking pair! I would be so embarrassed! Flashy ones it is! _Without even looking at them, she throws the lacey garments on, trying to ignore the feeling of her breasts being pushed up by the brazier's extra supporting. When and why did she buy these?

She puts on the tank top and mini skirt, almost dreading to look into the mirror. When she does, she is baffled. Her face was a pretty shade of light baby pink and her lose hair fit perfectly with it giving her a 'sweetie' kind of look. Her breasts look so much bigger with the bra and tank top combo, and her stomach looks thinner. She smiles at that and looks at her legs. The skirt shows a lot, but not too much to be considered over-the-top. It was the normal length she wore that shows off her long, creamy legs. She was glad that she shaved recently for her limbs were silky smooth. With a sly smile and turns to inspect how her rear looked and she is pleased with the sight. She winks at her mirror self and says, "Lucy, you are one _fiiinnnnee_ girlie~!" She giggles.

"C'mon, Lucy, let's go!" Natsu's impatient call reaches her ears and she can't help but giggle again. She grabs her brush, rushes it through her hair and ties some of it up with a cute matching red bow. Taking one last look in the mirror, she races out of her room, almost running straight into her companion. He looks at her in surprise and she flashes a blinding smile at him hoping he thought she looked good. Hope begins to bloom in her chest at the sight of him staring at her with wide eyes and the tiniest blush on his cheeks. Just as she was about to tell him a sassy remark, he looks away from her and says simply, "Took you that long to put on that? Let's go."

Lucy frowns deeply at him and crosses her arms across her generous chest yet follows him, "So, where are we going?" She questions as they walk through the guild hall and pass loud members.

"Lookin' good, Lucy-san!"

"Wow, you look great today, Miss Lucy!"

"Have fun on your date, Lu-chan!" _Levy-chan?!_ Lucy's face goes red at her comment and turns to glare at the short blunette. She is currently lounging in a chair besides the hulking Gajeel, looking about as out of place as a sore thumb next to him. She smiles hugely at the blonde and waves, giving her a little wink as she does so. Lucy glances at Gajeel to see him eyeing her tits appreciatively. She scowls at him and he quickly turns away, whistling an innocent tune. She rolls her eyes and waves back at her friend.

"Not a date!" She squeals and stomps her foot. Natsu turns back and grabs her wrist to drag her along. Her eyes widen as he takes her to the guild's front doors.

"Takin' so long just to get to the friggin' door…" She hears him mutter under his breath and she can't help but chuckle at his childish behavior. He must have really missed her if he didn't want to hang around in the guild any longer. Speaking of guild members…

Lucy looks up at her friend and says, "Where's Happy?"

Natsu grimaces, "He ditched me for Charlie-san…" He pushes open the guild doors, "We're leaving!" He calls back and many guild members say their goodbyes. That was another thing she just loved about Fairy Tail. Everybody was so friendly. Nobody in Thieves' Guild ever said hello or goodbye to her, nobody except those who either wanted to start something or wanted some of her jewels. Of course, those wanting jewels started something but some were just extremely blunt about wanting to rob her. Everyone here just had such warm smiles and open hearts-except for Gajeel of course-that it made her feel almost sympathetic.

Almost.

They wouldn't suck her into their world of bread and circuses. She will keep her mind untainted by their trickery and nothing they say or do will make her vigilance slip. She distrusted every single one of them, and she was good at keeping enemies close. She knew that all of them, behind those facades of cherry faces and friendly smiles, they were mocking her, toying with her. They act as snakes, so entrancing with their beautiful scales and waiting for the perfect moment to strike out and corrode their victim's flesh with their deadly poison. She would be no victim.

Natsu now slows down to a walk with her wrist still in his iron grip. She glances down and tries not to blush but cannot help it. Not many have tried to hold _her_ hand, of all people. The other thieves in her guild mostly stayed out her way in fear that they might either draw Master Goliean's attention or that she might 'take care of them' as Master so often puts it. This was all very new to her. She glances up at his face to see a big smile has come to his face and she too comes to smile warmly. He looks back at her to see her smiling and he says, "What're you smiling about?" She simply shrugs and rushes forward to walk beside him, slipping her wrist from his grip before grabbing his hand. His fingers immediately intertwine with her's and the two laugh together, walking along the side of a long harbor on a cobblestone path. The warm sun shines down on them, making their eyes glow with the familiar brightness of youth. She didn't know where he was taking her, but at the moment she didn't really care much. She was too caught up in his laughter.

They take a left, Natsu leading the way, and they continue to walk and talk until he stops her and she finds that they have ended up in the most beautiful place. Her brown eyes widen in surprise as she takes in her surroundings. She was standing in a clearing bordered by tall, blooming _sakura_ trees. The pink and white petals flow around in the soft breeze, making the scene look that much more pretty. The slightest blush comes to her face as she lets go of Natsu's hand to walk further into the park. The blue sky fits perfectly, the shining sun bouncing off of the petals and tiny stream just left of the two. She clasps her hands behind her back and sighs softly at the scene around her, "This is…amazing, Natsu." She says gently, still staring, awestruck, at the gorgeous _sakura_ all around her.

He smiles at her, "I'm glad you think so. I thought you might like it here…" Shoving his hands in his pockets, he moves forward to join her by the stream's side. She slowly lowers onto her knees to sit in the soft earth floor. She swirls her fingers around in the rich soil near her feet, loving how cool it felt on her skin. She hears him sit down beside her and she turns her head to smile hugely at him.

"Just, wow, Natsu!" Lucy exclaims with a delighted look on her face. He smiles warmly at her, eyes matching the sun, and moves a bit closer. Their knees now bump together but Lucy didn't care. She loved being here with Natsu already. The soothing breeze and scent of cherry blossoms did wonders for the stressing feelings she has had recently. She felt as if the entire world was slipping away, Master Goliean, Master Marcov, Chestlie Vix, Thieves' Guild, Fairy Tail, everything that has ever caused her disdain. All that she could see, feel, was Natsu and the warmth he provided. Her big grin slips into a slow smile and she dips her fingers into the stream, moving them around in circles and giggling whenever it would splash her. Natsu watches her with friendly eyes and moves closer once again. Now their shoulders touch and Lucy decides to rest her head on his shoulder, taking her hands out of the water to grasp his own. He looks surprised from this much contact but does not say a word against it or about it. He looks down at her again to see that she was staring up at him with eyes full of adoration. The tiniest blush comes to his face. She looks so beautiful. Her golden hair was shining more brilliantly than the very sun in the sky, her big brown eyes sparkle and shine; her cheeks are sprinkled with pink…He watches those plump lips as they move, "Thank you so much, Natsu…" Murmurs she and the two tighten their grips on each other's hands simultaneously making Lucy smile.

Natsu averts his eyes from his companion, more than a little flushed from how close and how sweet she is. He simply watches as her the damp tip of her index finger traces patterns into the calloused flesh of his palm. When he feels her breath on his jaw he dares not move in fear he might ruin this peaceful moment by her side. He has never felt so serene yet so wild inside at the same time. She made feelings in him spring up that he didn't even know he had, and she stirred up other places too. He knew she was looking at him, he could feel her eyes boring holes into the side of his face. Why was she looking at him so intensely? Did she want him to turn his head and look at her too? So that's exactly what he did, and he wasn't quite prepared for the outcome.

Her plump lips slam onto his slightly chapped ones, pushing him over and into the ground. His onyx eyes go huge as he feels the weight of his best friend settle on him, all of her body parts squished against his. Her hands rest on either side of his face, keeping him locked there as she kisses him almost forcefully. Her eyes are shut tight as if afraid of what she might see if she opens them. Would she find him appalled or pleased with how she is acting? He just looked so fine that she couldn't help herself. She was a sexually-able teenager, you know! She got those feelings, and she was positive he did too, especially with the way his hands were slowly inching up her thighs. She was going on what she has read in both manga and romantic novels, but they didn't prepare her for the genuine feelings of happiness that run through her. The heat on her thighs from his nimble hands almost makes her moan. Deciding to take it to the next level, she gingerly probes his lips with her slick tongue hoping that he'll respond positively. He gasps and she shoves her tongue in, groping his with her own. He is still for a moment before he closes his eyes and allows his tongue to dance with her's, both fighting for dominance in the hot crevasse of his mouth. He fights her out of his mouth and quickly sticks it into her's, his hands on her thighs going up to play with the hem line of her red mini skirt. It felt so _hot_, a heat he has never felt before. It started in his gut and expanded through his entire body, mainly settling in his groin. Now, he knew what _that_ feeling was, he wasn't nearly as dense as people first thought. He knew about sexual things and even how to kiss, but he's just never really care for it before. Now he sees what he has been missing. All this time…he could have been doing this with Lucy?! He should have done this way earlier!

They are forced to part to take a breath, and a long thin string of saliva connects the two together as if signaling what they had done. Lucy pants heavily and as does Natsu. Her face a beautiful shade of red and he smirks up at her, "Now what was that about?" He questions almost deviously.

If it was possible for her face to go any redder, it did. Lucy opens up her big brown eyes and stares down at him, taking in his mischievous smirk and bright onyx eyes. He wasn't angry? He wasn't even the least bit furious with her jumping him? Why would he be, I mean, he's a guy isn't he? She takes her hands from his face and sits up, sitting back onto his thighs. He sits up as well, hands now on her hips. He comes dangerously close to her face and whispers, "Whatever it was…I loved it." He now instigates a kiss, reaching up and pulling her face forward to press his lips to her's. He smiles against her lips as she practically gives herself completely to him, throwing her arms around his neck and pulling her body forward so they touched again. Taking a chance, he nips at her bottom lip and she opens her mouth willingly to let him inside. They tongue tag once again and Natsu's hands drift up to touch the soft flesh under her tank top. She shivers at the contact and grips Natsu's pink hair, playing with the locks. Her heart was racing and she was positive he could hear it with his sensitive ears. They part for air again and Lucy stops him from kissing her again. He pouts at her which makes her giggle.

"Now hold on, tiger!" She jokes with a light-hearted and bashful tone. She was still panting a bit from the kissing that was practically making out. "You're not angry at me forcing that kiss onto you?"

Natsu cocks his head at her curiously, "Now why in seven hells would I be angry that the most beautiful girl in Fairy Tail kissed me?" He questions her innocently, knowing very well this makes her blush and stutter for a second.

"So…uh…what now?" She asks almost fearfully. Would he just want her for pleasure? Or did he really want her for her?

Natsu chuckles at his best friend and touches her face gently. She looks at him with huge eyes as he plants another kiss on her lip, but this one was fleeting and soft, "I guess…we'll have to experiment, huh?"

That tiny smile comes back to her face, the one so much like before when she looked so smitten with him. She kisses him again; not fully believing this was happening, before pulling back and touching her forehead to his, "I like you more than a friend should, Natsu."

"As do I." They kiss again, neither one caring about the world.

Well, that was until a dark voice speaks up in the back of Lucy's mind, always there and forever monotonous, _"Excellent job, Lucy, you plan worked perfectly. Master will be very proud of your continued loyalty to Thieves' Guild."_

**OoOoOoO**

**Are you happy it finally happened? They finally kissed! But, is it just a show for Lucy? Does she really love him, or is it all a plan to get him to trust her more?**

**Guess you'll have to find out next time! Review, if you don't mind!**

**Next on update list: The Dragon Tamer**

**Bye, bye!  
PARADISE.x**


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